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CHAMBERS'S 


EDITION OF 


DON Q^U I X O T E. 


VOL. I. 


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THE 

History 

AMD 

ADVENTURES 

OF THE 1R.EN0WNEO 

DON QUIXOTE 

TRANSLATED FROM THB SPANISH OF 

MIGUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA. 

TO WBICB IS PRSrxZSDy 9\ 

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

BY r. SMOLLETTy M. D* 


ORNAMENTED WITH ENGRAVINGS^ 

BT THS FIRST MJSTSRSf 
tlOlf TBK DSSIOMS Of THB MADRID ROTAL ACADXMT, ACC, 


tm 


IN FOUR VOLUMES. 


FOL. I. 


.JOHN CHAMBERS. 


I 

I f 




TO THE 


PROVOST, 
FELLOWS AN© SCHOLARS 


o r 


Crinit; College, IDtibUn, 


THIS EDITION OP 


DON CLU I X O T E 

IS 

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED^ 


At 


AN XNMATOU& TO IMPROTB 


THE ART OF FUNTING IIÍ XJIELAND^ 


BY 


JOHN CHAMBERS. 


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««■ 


THE 


LIFE 


O F 


CERVANTES. 


AaiGUEL DE Cervantes Saavedra was at once the 
glory and reproach of Spain; for if his admirable 
genius and heroic fpirit conduced to the honour o£ 
his country, the diilrefs and obfcurity which attended 
his old age, as efFe¿lually redounded to her difgrace* 
Had he lived amidfl: Gothic darknefs and barbarity^ 
where *no records were ufed, and letiers altogether 
unknown, we might have expe¿íed to derive from 
tradition, a number of particulars relating to the 
family and fortune of a man fo remarkably admired 
even in his own time. But one would imagine pains 
had been taken to throw a veil of oblivion over the 
perfonal concerns of this excellent author. No in- 
quiry hath, as yet, been able to afcertain the place of 
his nativity; and although in his works he has de- 
clared himfelf a gentleman by birth, no houfe has 
hitherto laid claim to fuch an illuftrious dcfcendant. 

One * author fays he was bom at Efquivias ; but 
offers no argument in fupport of his afiertion : and 

* Thomas Tamayto de Vergai* 

VOL. I. a 


LIFE OF CERVANTES. 

, probably the conjeéiure was founded upon the enco^ 
^miums which Cervantes himfelf beilows on that place» 
to which he gives the epithet of Renowned, in his 
preface to Perfiles and Sigifiiiunda. Others aíRrm he 
firft drew breath in Lucena, grounding their opinion 
upon a vague tradition which there ptevails : and a * 
third fet take it for granted that he was a native of 
Seville, becaufe there are families in thatxity known 
by the names of Cervantes and Saavedraj and our 
author mentions his having, in his early youth, feen 
plays z&fid by Lope Rueda, Who was a Sevilian. 
Thefe, indeed, are prefumpttons that deferve fome 
regard, tho' far from implying certain information, 
they fcarce even amount to probable conjecture : nay, 
thefe very circumftances feem to difprove the fup- 
pofition : for, had he been a¿}ually defcended from 
thofe families, they would in all likelihood have pre- 
ferved fome memorials of his birth, which Don Nicho- 
las Antonio would have recorded, in fpeaking of his 
fellow-citizen. All thefe pretentions are now generally 
fet afide in favour of Madrid, which claims the honour 
of having produced Cervantes, and builds her title on 
an expreilion f in his voyage to Parnaifus, which, in 
my opinion, is altogether equivocal and inconclufive. 

In the midft of fuch undecided contention, if I may 
be allowed to hazard a coxvjefture, I would fuppofe 
that there was fomething myfterious in his extraflion, 
which he had no inclination to explain, and that his 
family had domeftic reafons for maintaining the like 
referve. Without admitting fome fuch motive, we 
can hardly account for his filence on a fubje£fc that 
would have afforded him an opportunity to indulge 

* Don Nicholas Antonio. 

f He defcribes his dcpattare from Madrid ia tl^efe wonis : ** 0«t 
•f my country and mjtíÜ I go !* 


LÍFEOÍ CEfeVANTéí. 

that íelf-refpe¿l which he fo honeftly difphys in the 
courfe of his \trrlting8. Unlefs we conclude that hé 
Was inftigated to renounce all conne£tion with his 
kindred and allies» by fome contemptuous flight, 
mortifying repulie, or real iiijury he had fuftained ; a 
fuppofition which, I own, is not at all improbable, 
confidering the jealous fenfibility of the Spaniards in 
general, and the warmth of refentment peculiar tú 
our author, which glows through his produdions, 
unreftrained by all the fears of poverty, and ¿ill the 
maxims of old age and experience. 

Whatever may have been the plape of his nativity, 
we gather from the preface to his novels» that he Was 
born in the year 1549: and his writings decíate that 
his education was by no means negle£ted ^ for ovet 
and above a natural fund of humour and invention, 
he appears to have poflcfied a valuable ftock of acquired 
knowledge : we find him intimately acquainted with 
the Latin claiEcs, well read in the hiftory of nations, 
▼erfed in the philofophy, rhetoric, and divinity of the 
fchools, tin&ured with aftrology and geography, con- 
verfant with the beft Italian authors, and perfe£^Iy 
inafter of his own Caftilian language. His genius, 
which was too delicate and volatile to engage in the 
feverer ftodies, dsre£ted his attention to the produc- 
tions of tafte and polite literature, which, while they 
amufed his fancy, enlarged, augmented, and improved 
his ideas, and taught him to fet proper bounds to 
die excurfions of his imagination. 

Thus quaKfied, he could not fail to make pertinent 
obfervatións in his commerce with mankind : the 
peculiarities of charader could not efcape his penetra- 
tion ; whatever he faw became familiar to his judgment 
and underftanding ; and every fcene he exhibits, is a 
jttft well-drawn chara£leriftic pi£ture of human life. 

a 7, 


LIFl OF CERVANTES. 

, How he exercifed tfaefe talents in his youths and In 
what manner the firft years of his manhood were 
employed^ we are not able to explain, becaufe hiftory 
and tradition are altogether filent on the fubjedl; 
ynlefs we admit the authority of one * author, who 
fay3, he was fccretary to the Duke of Alva, without 
alleging any one fa£l: or argument in fupport of hU 
aíTertion. Had he a£iually enjoyed a poft of fuch 
importance, we ihould not, in all probability, hare 
wanted materials to fupply this chafm in his life -, 
nor ihould we find him afterwards in the itation of a 
common foldier^ 

Others imagine that he ferved as volunteer in Flan- 
ders, where he was raifed to the rank of enCgn in 
the company commanded by Don Diego de Urbina ; 
grounding this belief on the fuppofition that the hiftory 
of the captive related in the firft part of Don Quixote, 
is a literal detail of his own adventures. But this 
notion is reje£tedby thofe who confider that Cervantes 
would hardly have contented himfelf with the humble 
appellation of foldier, which, in fpeaking of himiblf, 
he conftantly aflumes, had he ever appeared in any 
fuperior ftation of a military charaéler. In a word, 
we have very little information touching the tranfac- 
tions of his life but what he himfelf is pleafed to 
give^ through the courfe of his writings; and from 
this we learn that he was chamberlain to cardinal 
Aquaviva in Rome, and followed the profeiBon of 
a foldier for fome years, in the army commanded by 
Marco Antonio Colonna f , who was, by Pope Pius V. 
appoi^ited general of the ecclefiaftical forces employed 
againft the Turks, and received the confccrated 

* Nicholas Antonio, Bibiioth. Hi/p. 
f His dedication of Galatea. 


LIFE OP CERVANTES. 

ftandard from the hands of his holinefs, in the church 
of St. Peter. 

Under this celebrated captain, Cervantes embarked 
in the chriftian fleet commanded by Don John of 
Auftria, who obtained over the Turks the glorious 
▼¡¿lory of Lepanto, where our author loft his left hand 
by the ihot of an arquebus. This mutilation, which 
redounded fo much to his honour, he has taken care 
to record on divers occafions : and, indeed, it is very 
natural to fuppofe his imagination would dwell upon 
fuch an adventure, as the favourite incident of his 
life. I wifli he had told us what recompence he 
received for his fervices, and what confolation he 
«njoyed for the lofs of his limb, which muft have 
e£feá;ually difqualified him for the office of a common 
foldier, and reduced him to the neceffity of exerciling 
fome other employment. 

Perhaps it was at this period he entered into th« 
fervice of cardinal Aquaviva, to whofe protedion he 
was entitled by his gallantry and misfortune i and now 
in all likelihood, he had leifure and opportunity to 
profecute his. favourite ftudies, to cultivate the mufe, 
gnd render himfelf confpicuous by the produ£tions of 
his gtaius, which was known and admired by fcveral 
authors of diftin£lion even before his captivity j for 
Louis Gatvez de Montalvo, in his poem prefixed to 
Galatea, fays, the world lamented his misfortune in 
tears, and the mufe exprefled a widow's grief at his 
abfence. I will even venture to fuppofe, that, in 
this interval^ his fituation was fuch as enabled him to 
laife an independent fortune *, for we find him after* 
wards relieving the wants of his fellow captives in 
Barbary, with fuch liberality as denoted the affluence 
of his own circumftances ; and, in his voyage to 
Parnafius, which was publiflied in his old age. 


I^irP OF PEfLVANTBS, 

AppUo upfanii46 him with want, of oBConomyi an4 
reminds him of his having once made his own fortune» 
wbioh in the f^qu^l he fquandered away. 

I make no dpubt but this was the moft £ortunat^ 
peripd of Sa^yedra's life, during which he reforma4 
and improved the Sp^niih theatre^ and uih^^ intp 
the world a number of dramatic performances which 
wefc adted with univerfal applauie. He *. t^s us» 
that he had feen plays ^&^d by the gr^at Lope d^ 
Rucdaj who was a native of Seville» and originally ft 
gold-beater: when this genius firft appeared, the 
Spanifh drama was in its infancy ! one large fack or 
bag contained all the furniture and drefs of the theatre» 
confiding of four iheepikin jackets with the wool on» 
trimmed with gilt leather ; four beards and periwigs» 
and the fame number of paftoral crooks* The piece 
was no other than a dialogue or eclogue between twp 
or three fwana^ láíé a fliepberdefs» feafbned with 
comic interludes» or rather low buffoonery» exhibited 
in the chara&ers of « blackamoor» a bravo» a fool» and 
a Bifcayan. The. ftage itfelf was compofed of a few 
boards, raifed about three feet £rom the ground, upon 
four benches» or forms. There was no other fccnery 
than a blanket or horfe-cloth ftretched acrofs» behind 
which the muficians fung old ballads unaccompanied 
by any fort of inftrument. Lope de Rueda not only 
compofed theatrical pieces, but alfo aéied in every 
chara£ter with great reputation; in which he was 
fucceeded by Naharro» a Toledan» who improved 
and augmented the decorations» brought the muGc 
from behind the blanket, and placed it forwards to 
the audience, deprived the a£tors of their counterfeit 
beards» without which no man's part had been hitherto 

t In the pie&ce to his plays^ 


tlFE or CERTAKTCS. 

ipcribrtiKdj invent^ machinei» clouds, thunder, %ná 
lightuing» and introduced challenges and combats 
mth iqcmiible fuccefs : but ftiU the drama was fude, 
unpoUflied and irregular ; and the fable, tho^ divided 
into fire a£ks, was almoft altogether deftitute oí man- 
ners, propriety, and invention. 

From this uncultivated ftate of ignorance and bar- 
barian, Cervantes raifed the Spanifli dieatre to dignity 
und cftcem, by enriclUng his dramatic produfbions 
with moral fentiments, regularity of plan, and pro* 
priety of charafker; together with the graces of poetry, 
and the beauties of imagination. He publiihed thirty 
pieces, which were reprefented at Madrid with unt* 
verial appbufe ; fo that he may be juftly deemed the 
patriarch of the 8pauifii drama ; and^ in this particular, 
revered above Lope de Vega himfeif, who did not ap- 
pear until he had left oflF writing for the ftage. 

In the year i$74) he was unfortunately taken by a 
Barisary corfair, and conveyed to Algiers, where he 
was ibid to a Mocvr, and remained a flave for the fpace 
of five years and a half: during which he exhibited 
repeated proofs of the moft enterprifing genius and 
honoic generofity. Though we know not on what 
occafion he fell into the hands of the Barbarians, he 
himfeif gives us to underftand, in the ftory of the 
captive, that he refided at Algiers in the reign of 
Hafian Aga, a ruffian renegado, whofe cruelty he def- 
cribes in thefe terms : '* He was every day hanging 
one, impaling another, maiming a third, upon fuch 
flight occafions, frequently without any caufe affigned, 
that the Turks themfelves owned he aéied thus out of 
mere wantonnefs and barbarity, as being naturally of 
a favage difpofitíon, and an inveterate enemy to the 
whole human race. The perfon who ufed the greate(( 
freedom with him, was one Saavedra, a Spanifh foldicr^ 


LIFE OF CERVANTS9. 

who, tho' he did many things which thofc people will 
not foon forget, in attempting to regain his liberty, he 
never gave him one blow, nor ordered him once to be 
chaftized, nor even chid him with one hafty word ; 
and yet the leaft of all his pranks was fufficient, as we 
thought, to bring him to the ftake ; nay, he himfelf 
was more than once afraid of being impaled alive. If 
time would permit, I could here recount fome of that 
ibldier's a£lions, which, perhaps, might entertain and 
furprife you more than the relation of my own ftory." 

Thus Cervantes afcertains the time of his own flavcry, 
delineates, with great exaéinefs, the charaélcr of that 
inhuman tyrant, who is recorded in hiftory as a monfter 
of cruelty and avarice; and proves to demonftration, 
that his own ftory was quite different from that which 
the captive related of himfelf. Saavedra's adventures 
at Algiers were truly furprifing ; and tho' we cannot 
favour the public with a fubftantial detail of every inci- 
dent, we have found means to learn fuch particulars 
of his conduél, as cannot fail to reñeGt an additional 
luftre on a chara¿ier which has been long the obje¿): of 
admiration. 

We are informed by a refpeñable hiftorian *, who 
was his fellow flave, and an eye-witnefs of the tranfac- 
tion, that Don Miguel de Cervantes, a gallant, enter** 
prifing Spanifli cavalier, who, tho' he never wanted 
hioney, could not obtain his releafe without paying an 
exorbitant ranfom, contrived a fcheme for fetting him- 
felf free, together with fourteen unhappy gentlemen of 
his own country, who were all in the like circumftances 
of thraldom under different patrons. His firft ftep 
was to redeem one Viana, a bold Majorcan mariner, 
in whom he could confide, and with whom he fent 

* F. Die^o da Hacd«. . 


L|FE-OF CERVANTES. 

letters to the governor of that ifland, defiring in the 
name of himfelf and the other gentlemen captives» 
that he would fend over a brigantine under the direc- 
tion of Viana, who had undertaken, at an appointed 
time, to touch upon a certain part of the coaft, where 
he ihould find them ready to embark. In confe<}uence 
of this agreement, they withdrew themfelves from 
their refpeékive mafters, and privately repaired to a 
garden near the fea-fide, belonging to a renegado 
Gnck, whofe name was AUCaid Haflan ; where they 
were concealed in a cave, and carefully fcreened from 
the knowledge of the owner, by his gardener, who 
was a chriftian captive. Viana pundually performed 
his promife, and returned in a veflel, with which he 
was fupplied by the governor of Majorca ; but fome 
Moors chancing to pafs, juft as he anchored at the 
appointed place, the coaft was inftantly alarmed, and 
he found himfelf obliged to relinquifli the enterprize. 
Meanwhile, the captives, being ignorant of this acci- 
dent, remained in the cavern, which they never quitted 
except in the night, and were maintained by the libe« 
rality of Cervantes, for the fpace of feven months, 
during which the neceíTaries of life were brought to 
them by a Spaniih flave, known by the appellation of 
El Dorador or The Gilder. No wonder that their 
hope and patience began to fail, and their conftitutions 
to be afieded by the dampnefs of the place, and the 
grief of their difappointment, which Don Miguel 
endeavoured to alleviate by the exercife of his reafon, 
good humour, and humanity ; till, at laft, their pur- 
veyor turned traitor, and, allured by the hope of re- 
ceiving a confiderable reward, difcovered the whole 
aflair to Haflan Baiha. This tyrant, tranfported with 
joy at the information, immediately ordered the guar- 
dian Baiha, with a body of armed men, to follow 


jLIPE 07 CERVANTSflL 

^e perfidiotts wretch, who conduéied them to the 
pave, where they feized thofe unhappy fugitives, to* 
gether with their faithful gardener, and forthwith 
carried the whole number to the public bagnio, except 
Cervantes, touching whofe perfon they had received 
particular dlreiiions from Haflan, who knew his 
«hara£ter, and had been long deSrous of pofiefling 
fuch a notable flave. At prefent, however, his inten- 
tion was to perfuade Don Miguel to accufe Oliver, 
one of the fathers of the redemption then at Algivrs, 
as an accomplice in the fcheme they had proje&cd, 
that he might, on this pretence, extort from the friar, 
by way of compofition, the greateft part of the money 
which had been colle¿ted for the ranfom of chriftiaui 
Haves* Accordingly he endeavoured to inveigle 
Saavedra with artful promifes, and to intimidate him 
with dreadful threats and imprecations, into tke con* 
feffion or im][»eachment on which he wanted to lay 
hold : but that generous Spaniard, with a refolution 
peculiar to himfelf, reje¿ted all his oiFers, and def«* 
pifing the terrors of his menaces, perfifted in affirm- 
ing that he had no afibciate in the plan of their efcape, 
which was purely the refult of his own refle¿líon. 

After having in vain tampered with his integrity, in 
repeated trials that lafted for feveral days, he reftored 
him and his companions to their refpe£bive mafters, 
notwithftanding the remonftrances of Al-Caid Haflan, 
owner of the garden in which they had been appre- 
hended, who, probably with a view to manifeft his 
own iniK>cence, ftrenuoufly exhorted the Baiha to 
infiifi: the moft exemplary puniihment on the offenders, 
and a£tually put his own gardener to death. Cervantes 
had fo often fignalized his genius, courage, and a£ti- 
vity, that Haffan refolved to make him his own, and 
purchafed him from his mailer for five hundred 


;.IF£ OF CERVANTES. 

ducat* : then he was heard to fay^ << While I hold 
that maimed Spaniard in fafe cuilody^ my vefiels^ 
flaves^ and even my whole city are fecure." For he 
bad not only concerted a number of fchemes for the 
deliverance of his fellow captives» but his defigns had 
even afpired to the conqueft of Algiers» and he was 
at four difiérent times on the point of being impaled» 
booked^ or burned alive. Any fingle attempt of that 
kind would have been deemed a capital ofibnce» under 
the mildeft government that ever fubfifted among the 
Moors ; but there was fomething in the chara£ter or 
perfonal deportment of Cervantes» which commanded 
rcfpeéi from barbarity itfelf ; for we find that Haflan 
Baflia treated him with incredible lenity» and his 
redemption was afterwards efie¿):ed by the intercei&on 
of a trinitarian father» for a thoufand ducats *• 

From this account of his behaviour in Barbary» it 
appears that he a£led a far more important part than 
that of a poor mutilated foldier : he is dignified with 
the appellation of Don Miguel de Cervantes» and re- 
prefented as a cavalier whofe affluent fortune enabled 
him to gratify the benevolence and liberality of his 
difpofition. We muft therefore take it for granted^ 
that he acquired this wealth after the battle of Lepanto» 

* To this ad?entuTe he, dogbtlefs, alludes, in the ñorf of the 
captive ; i«ho fitys, that when he and his fellow flatres were deliberat* 
Ing about ranibming one of their number, who (hould go to Valencia 
lud Majorca, and procure a Teflel with which he might return and 
fetch olT the reft, the renegado, who was of then* council, oppofed 
the fcheme, obíénring, that thofe who are once deliTcred feldom think 
of performing the promiies they have made in captivity : as a con* 
firmation of the truth of what he alleged, he briefly recounted á cafe 
which had lately happened to fome chiiftian gentlemen, attended 
with the ftningeft circumftances ever known, even in thoíé parts» 
where the moft uncommon and fuxpriilog events occur almoft rrery 
day. 


LIFE OF CERVANTES. 

where he furely would not have fought as a private 
foldier, could. he have commanded either money or 
intereft to procure a more confpicuous nation in the 
fervice. Be that as it will, his conduél at Algiers 
reSe¿is honour upon his country, and while we applaud 
him as an author, we ought to revere him as a man ; 
nor vnll his modefty be lefs the objed: of our admira- 
tion, if we confider that he has, upon this occafion, 
negle£ted the faireft c^portunity a man could poíEbly 
enjoy, of difplaying his own chara¿ier to the greateft 
advantage, and indulging that felf^complacency which 
}s fo natural to the human heart. 

As he returned to his own country with thofe 
principles by which he had been diftinguiflied in his 
exile, and an heart entendered and exercifed in fym- 
pathizing with his fellow creatures in diftrefs; we 
may fuppofe he could not advert to the leflbns of 
ceconomy, which a warm imagination fddom or never 
retains ; but that his heart glowed with all the enthu- 
fiafm of frtendihip, and that bis bounty extended to 
every objeéi of compaffion which fell within his view. 

Notwithftanding all the íhafts of ridicule which he 
hath fo fuccefsfuUy levelled againft the abfurdities of 
the Spaniih romance, we can plainly perceive, fron» 
his own writings, that he himfelf had a turn for chi- 
valry ; his life was a chain of extraordinary adventures, 
his temper was altogether heroic, and all his anions 
were, without doubt, influenced by the moft romantic 
notions of honour. 

Spain has produced a greater number of thefe cha- 
rafbers, than we meet with upon record in any other 
nation ; and whether fuch fingularity be the effeft of 
natural or moral caufes, or of both combined, I ihall 
not pretend to determine. Let us only aihrm, that 
j(his difpofition is not confined to any particular peopl« 


LIFE OF CERVANTES* 

or period of time : even in our own countrji .and in 
thefe degenerate days, we fomettmes find individuals 
whom nature feems to have intended for members 
of thofe ideal focieties which never did, and perhaps 
never can exifl but in imagination ; and who remind us 
of the chara£^ers defcribed by Homer and Plutarch, 
as patriots facrificing their lives for their country^ and 
heroes encountering danger, not with indifference and 
contempt, but with all the rapture and impetuofity of 
a paihonate admirer. 

If we confider Cervantes as a man infpired by fuch 
ientiments, and a£buated by fuch motives s and at the 
lame time, from his known fenfibility and natural 
complexion, fuppofe him to have been addi£ted to 
pleafure and the amufements of gallantry ; we cannot 
be furprifed to find his finances in a little time ex- 
haufted, and the face of his affairs totally reverfed. It 
was probably in the decline of his fortune, that he re- 
folved to re-appear in the chara£ler of an author, and 
ftand candidate for the public favour, which would 
be a certain refource in the day of trouble : he, there- 
fore, compofed his Galatea in fix books, which was 
publilhed in the. year 1584, dedicated to Afcanio 
Colonna, at that time abbot of St. Sophia ; and after- 
wards cardinal of the holy crofs of Jerufalem. 

The rich vein of invention, the tendernefs of paflion, 
the delicacy of fentiment, the power and purity of 
didion, difplayed in this performance, are celebrated 
by Don Louis dc Vargat Manrique, in a commendatory 
'fonnet, which is a very elegant and honourable teflimony 
of our author's fuccefs. Ncverthelefs, the produ£tion 
has been cenfured for the irregularity of its ftile, the 
incorre£tnefs of its verfification, and ¿he multiplicity of 
its incidents, which encumber and perplex the principal 
narration ; and, over and above thefc objections, the 


LIÍE OF CfeAVANTfiS. 

ácfign is not brought to a conclufion, fo that the plan 
appears meagre and defeélívc*. He himfelf pleads guilty 
to fome part of the charge^ in the fentence pronounced 
by the curate^ in the firft part of Don Quixote, who, 
when the barber takes up the Galatea of Miguel de 
Cervantes ; ^^ That fame Cervantes, fays he, has been 
an intimate friend of mine thefe many years, and is, to 
my certain knowledge, mOre converfant with misfor- 
tunes than with poetry. There is a good vein of in- 
vention in his book, which propofes fomething, tho^ 
it concludes nothing. We muft wait for the fecond 
part which he promifes, and then, perhaps, his amend- 
ment may deferve a full pardon, which is now denied.** 

Whether the fucccfs of Galatea encouraged our au- 
thor to oblige the world with fome of thofe theatrical 
pieces, which we have already ihentioned as the firfl: 
regular produflions of the Spaniih drama, or the whole 
number of thefe was written and a£ted before his cap- 
tivity, I have not been able to determine ; but, in all 
probability, his ñrft eflays of that kind were exhibited 
in the interval between the battle of Lepanto and the 
commencement of his ilavery, and the reft publiihed 
after his redemption. 

Unlefs we fuppofe him to have been employed at 
Madrid in this manner for his fubiiftence, we muft pafs 
over tv^o and twenty years, which atfbrd us no parti- 
cular information touching the life of Saavedra ; tho* 
in that period he married Donna Catalina de Salazar, 
diflipated the remains of his fottune, experienced the 
ingratitude of thofe he had befriended in his prof- 
perity, and, after having fuftained a feries of mortifi- 
cations and diftrefs, was committed to prifon in con- 
fequence of the debts he had contra£led. 

* It has be«n oompkted with elegance» taíle and judjáieiit bf 
Floriany a French officer. Dublin Editoe, 


IIFS OF C£RVAliT£S, 

In this dilmal fituation he compofed that performance 

which is the delight and admiration of all Europe ; I 

mean, the firft part of Don Qaixote, which he wrote 

with a view to ridicule and diicredit thofe abfurd ro^ 

manees, filled with the moft naufeous improbability 

and unnatural extraTagance, which had debauched the 

tafte of mankind, and were indeed a difgrace to common 

fenfe and reafon. Not that Cerrantes had any inten*^ 

tion to combat the fpirit of knight-errantry, fo prevalent 

among the Spaniards $ on the contrary, I am perfuaded 

he would have been the firft man in the nation, to 

ftand up for the honour and defence of chivalry» 

which, when reftrained within due bounds, was an 

excellent inftitution, that infpired the moft heroic fen-« 

timents of courage and patriotifin, and on many oc<« 

cafions conduced to the peace and fafety of the com«> 

monwealth. In the charafter of Don Quixote, he 

exhibits a good underftanding perverted by reading ro« 

mantic ftories, which had no foundation in nature of 

in h€t. His intelleds are not fuppofed to have been 

damaged by the perufal of authentic hiftories, which 

f ecottnt the exploits of knights and heroes who really 

cxifted ; but his madnefs feems to have flowed from 

his credulity, and a certain wildnefs of imagination 

which was captivated by the marvellous reprelentation 

of dwarfs, giants, necromancers, and other pteterna* 

tund extravagance. From thelc legends he formed 

his whole plan of cofidtt£t ; and though nothing can 

be more ridiculous than the terms upon which he ié 

defcribed to have commenced knight-errant, at a time 

when the regulations of fociety had rendered the pro* 

feiBon unneceflTary, ^md indeed illegal; the criterion 

of his frenzy coníifts in that ftrange fatuity of mif* 

taking and confounding the moft familiar objeils with 

the fantaftical Ulufions which thoib romances haA 


LIFE OF CERVANTESa 

engendered in his fancy. So that our author did not 
enter the lifts againft the memory of the real fubftan» 
tiai chitalry, which he held in veneration ; but with 
defign to expel an hideous phantom that pofleiTed the 
brains of the people» waging perpetual war with true 
genius and invention. 

The fuccefs of this undertaking muft have exceeded 
his moft fanguine hopes. Don Quixote no fooner 
made his appearance, than the old romances vaniflied 
like mift before the fun. The ridicule was fo ftriking, 
that even the warmeft admirers of Amadis and his 
pofterity feemed to awake from a dream» and refle¿ted 
with amazement upon their former infatuation. Every 
difpaflionate reader was charmed with the humorous 
chara¿lers of the knight and fquire, who ftrait became 
the favourites of his fancy ^ he was delighted with the 
variety of entertaining incidents» and confidered the 
author's good fenfe and purity of ftile with admiration 
and applaufe. 

He informs us> by the mouth of the bachelor 
Sampfon Carrafco, that even before the publication 
of the fecond part» twelve thoufand copies of the firft 
were already in print» befides a new impreiTion then 
working off at Antwerp. ** The very children» fays 
he» handle it» boys read it» men underftand» and old 
people applaud the performance. It is no fooner laid 
down by one» than another takes it up» fome ftrug- 
gling» and fome entreating for a fight of it : in ñnCf 
this hiftory is the moft delightful and leaft prejudicial 
entertainment that ever was feen; for in the whole 
book there is not the leaft Ihadow of a diihonourable 
word» nor one thought unworthy of a good catholic." 
. Nor was this applaufe confined to the kingdoms 
and territories of Spain. The fame of Don Quixote 
difiufed itfelf through all the civilized countries. of 


LlfS .OP CfeB.VAMt£& 

Sairopé; and the ^irotkwaafo much admired in France^* 
AaA feme gentkmea wlio attended the French ambaffa- 
dor to Madrid» in a conrerfation with the licentiate 
Marqiiea IWres» chaphdn to the archbiihop of Toledo» 
expreflfad their furprise that Cervantes was not maiiii^ 
tuned firom the public treafury, as the honour and 
pride of the Spanifii natk>n.'^Nay diis work» which 
was firft pübUflied at Madrid in die year 1605, haé 
the good fortune to extort the approbation of royakf 
ideif :. PhiKp III. ftanding in a badcony of his palace 
and f anreying the a<Qaoent country» perceired a ftudent 
on the bank of the Manzanares» reading a book» and 
every now and then ftriking his forehead and butfting 
out into loud fits of hunter. His majefty haying 
obCerved his emotions for feme time ; '^ TÍbat ftudent» 
£úd he» is either mad» or reading Don Quixote*'* 
Some of the courtiers in attendance» had the curiofitf 
to go out and enquire» and wSbjsHy found the fcholar 
^g^g^ in the adventures of our Manchegan. 

As die book was dedicated to the duke de Bejar» 
we may naturally fuppofe that nobleman» either by his 
purfe or intereft» obtained the author's difcharge 
ficom prifon ; for he congratulates himfelf upon the 
piote&ion of fuch a patron» in certain verfes prefixed 
to the book» and fiippofed to be written by Urganda 
the unknown. He afiierwards attraded the notice of 
the comt de Lemos» who feems to have been his chief 
and fsvourite bene£ai&or ; and even enjoyed a fmall 
fliare of the countenance of the cardinal arcbbifiiop of 
Toledo: fo that we cannot» with any probability» 
eíponfe the. opinion of thofe who believe his Doa 
Qmxote was intended as a fatire upon the adminiftra« 
tion of tikat nobleman. Nor is there the leaft plaufible 
rcafon for thinking htsaim was to ridicule the condu& 
of Charles V» whole name he never as e nti o n s without 

?0L* !• b 


LIF£ OP CERVAHTES. 

/ 

expreílíoni of the utmoft reference and reganL In^ 
deed» his ow4 indigence was a more feyere f atice than 
any thing he could- have inTented againft the miniftrf 
pf Philip III. for tho' their protedion kept.him irom 
ftarving, it did not exempt Um from the difficnkiet 
tod mortiñcations of want ; and no man of tafte and 
humanity can refle£): upon his charadet and circum- 
ftances, without being fliocked át the barbarous. indi^ 
ference of his patrons. What he obtained was not 
the ofiering of liberality and tafte, but the fcanted 
«hns of compailion : he was not refpeded as a genius, 
but. relieved as a beggar. 

One would hardly imagine that an author could 
languiüi in the ihade of poverty and contempt, whUe 
his works afforded entertainment and delight to whole 
nations, and even iovereigss were found in the number 
of his admirers : but Cervantes had the misfortune to 
write in the reign of a prince whofe difpofition was 
fordid, and whofe talents, naturally mean, had received 
no manner of cultivation ; fo that his head was alto- 
gether untin£kured with fcience, and his heart an otter 
firanger to the virtues of beneficence* Nor did the 
liberal arts derive the leaft encouragement frcnn his 
miniftry, which was ever weak and wavering. The 
duke de Lerma feems to have been a proud, irrefolute, 
ihallow-brained politician, whofe whole attention was 
employed in preferving the good graces of his mafter ; 
tho', notwithftanding all his efforts, he ftill fluduated 
between favour and dtigrace, and at laft was fain to 
jQielter himfelf under the hat of a cardinal. As for the 
oount de Lemos, who had fome (hare in the admini- 
ftration, he affe£ted to patronize men of genius, tho' 
he had hardly penetration enough tocUftinguultmettti 
and the little tafte he pofiefled was.fo much warped by 
vanity and felf*conceit> that there was no other avenue 


•ItPÉ OF C&RVAHTÉ^. 

h> his friendÚiip but the road of adulation and pane* 
gyric: wc neednot> therefore, wonder that his bounty 
was fo . fparingly beftowed upon Cervantes, whofe 
conldouB worth and fpirit would not f ¿ffer him to ptac^ 
tife fuch' fertility of ptoftratiofi. 

Rather than (loop fo far beneath the dignity of hh 
own charai£ler, be refbWed to endure the feVereft 
ftings of fortune, and, for a feries of years, wreftkd 
with inconceivable vexation and ififtrefs. Even in 
this low *fituatioh, he was not exempted from the ill 
offices of thofe who envied hi» talents and his famiK 
The bad writers' vilified his genius, and cenfuredhis 
morals; they conftrued Don Quixote 'into an imperti- 
nent libeU and endearvoured to depreciate his exempbry 
Novels, which were publiihed at Madrid, in the year 
1613. This performance is fuch as might be expe£led 
from the invention and elegance of Cervantes, and 
was accordingly approved by the beft judges of hit 
time. Indeed, it muft have beea a great confolation 
to him, in the midft of Ids misfortunes, to fee himfelf 
celebiated by the choiceft wits of Spain ; and, among 
the reft, by the renowned. Lope de Vega, prince of 
the Spaniih dheatce^ who> both during the Hfe and 
after the death of our author» mentioned him in the 
moft refpeftfiil terms of* admiration» 
• But, of all the infults to whidi he was ^xpofed'Arom 
the malevolence of mankind, nothing provoked him fo 
much» as the. outrage he fiiftatned, from the inlblence 
and knavery of an author, .who, while he was prfepar* 
ingthe fecond part of .Don Quixote for the prefs, in the 
year 1614, publiihed/ a performance, intituled. The 
iecond Volun^ of the fage Hidalgo Don Quixote de la 
Maocbay containing his third fally^ compoled by the 

: b 2 


ficentiite Alonzo F^rmuidei de Aydlaiieda» a oati^ of 
Tordefilias i dedicated to tbe Alcwdoi ragiden» and 
gentkmen of the noUe town of Aigamafilla» the happy 
i^Hintrj of Don Qutaote de la Mancha» This impoBunt^ 
not contented with having robbed Oenrantes of hia plant 
And» aa fome peOpte bdiercj of a good part of his copy> 
attacked him perfonallj» in hia preface^ in the moft 
virulent manner; accnfing him of envy» malice» peevifli- 
0efi» and rancour ; reproaching him with his poverty^ 
and taxing him with baring abufed hb cotemporary 
writers» particularly Lope de Vega» under the Ihadow 
of whofe reputation this fpurious writer takes iheiter» 
pretending to have been laíhed» together with that 
great genius» in ibme of our anthoa's critical reiec* 
tions. 

' In fpite of the difgnife he aflmncd» Cervantes éaC- 
covered him to be an Anagonian; and in all proba-^ 
faility knew hia real name» which» however» he did 
not think proper ta tranfinit to pofterity; and hia 
Slence in this partioalar was the refult either of dilcrs* 
tion» or contempt. If he was a perfon of confer 
quence» as fome people foppoie» it was undoubtedly 
prudent in Cervantes to pretend ignorance of his true 
name and quality; becaufe» nnder the (hadow of that 
pretence» he could the more feciirely chaftife him fof 
his duUnels» fcurriEty» and prefumption : but if he 
knew him to be a man of no charader or eftimatiM 
in life» he ought to have deemed, him ^together un- 
worthy of his reientment ; for his produfbion was iUch 
as could not pofiiUy prejudice our autKor's imersfl; or 
reputation. It is ahogetlM^r void of invention and 
propriety : tfie chanuffcors of Don Quixote and Sancho 
aré fattened into t|ie moft infipid abfurdky ; tho ad« 
ventures are unentertaining and improbable ; and the 
ftile barbarous» (wofe^ and peduKte. 


riFB 07 CSIlTAim& 


Ho^rlbeter Satvedra's ibrtune migbt have been a$» 
SeBbei by this fxaudalent aodcipatioo) I am perfuadedy 
iram Ac confidccation of liis magnanimity, that he 
would have Iodi:ed npon the attempt with filent difdain^ 
had the fidtitious ATcUaneda abftained from perfonal 
abufe : but finding himfelf (b itijurioufly npbiaided 
with crimes which his Ibnl abhorred) he gave a loofe 
to his indignation and ridicule, which appear through 
the preface and fecond part of Don Quixote, in a 
variety of animadverfions equally ynttj and fevere. 
Indeed, the genuine continuation, which was publifhed 
in the year 1615, convinced the world that no other 
perfon could comj^ete the plan of the originsd pro- 
jeehv* It was received with univeifal joy and appro- 
bation : and in a very little time tranOated into the 
languages of Italy, France^ England, and other coun- 
tries, where though the knight appeared to difadvan- 
tage, he was. treated as a noble ftranger of fuperlatíve 
merit and diftinAion. 

In the year after the publication of his novels, 
Cervantes u(hered into the vrorld a poem, called, A 
Voyage to Pamafius, dedicated to Don Rodrigo de 
Tspia, knight of St Jago. This performance is an 
ironical fatíie on the Spanilh poets of his time, vmritten 
in imitation of Ccfar Caporali, who lafhed his cotem- 
poraries of Italy under the fame title ; tho* Saavedra 
feems to have had alfo another fcope : namely, to com- 
plain of the little regard that vras paid to his own age 
and talents. Thofe who will not allow this piece to 
be an excellent poem, cannot help owning that it 
abounds with wit and manly fatire ; and that nothing 
could be a more keen reproach upon the tafte and patro- 
nage of the times, dian the dialogue that pailes be- 
tween him and Apollo ; to whom, after having made 
a bold, yet juft recapitulation of his oum fuccefs in 


IIEE. OV . CERVANTES. 

wrUmg^ he pftdieticdlycomplaiiisi. that he wflis déáled 
;} feat among ki^ brethren; axud tikes occafion 'to oth- 
ferye, that rewards, were not. beflaowed according to 
merit» but in con&quence oí inteocft and favoiit. 

Hehaa» upon other occafions» made fevere remarks 
.uppn the fcarcity of patrons among the nobiUty of 
Spain^ and even aimed the ibafts of .' his iatireatihe 
throne . itfelf. - In his .dedicatiokiof the fecond part 
of Don Quixote» to the count' de Lemos» he proceeds 
an this ironical ftraln: '^ But. no'perfon exprefles a 
greater delire of feeing my Don.Qjiixote^!t];káa «the 
mighty emperor of- Chin^l» whoy abput a month ago» 
ient me a letter by an ^prefsj d^fmng» 'or rather her 
ieeching) me to fupply him with ^ copy of that perfor- 
mance»; as he intended to build and. Cfidow. a: college 
ior teaching the Sp?^niíh language from my book» and 
.wa§ refolved to mafc^ me re^pr or principal teacher," 
I fiked if .14^ majefty had .f<?nt me any thing towards 
defraying the charges ; and whe^ he anfwered in the 
negative» ^< Why then» friend» faid I» you may return 
to China as foon as you pteafe ; for my own part» I 
am not in a ilate of health to undertake fuch a long 
journey; befides» I am not only we^ in body, but 
ilill weaker in purfe» and fo I am the emperor's moit 
)iumble fervant. In ihort» emperor for emperor, and 
inonarch for monarch» to take one with the other» and 
fet the hare's head againfl: the goofe giblets, there is 
the noble count de Lemos» at Naples» whp» without 
^ny. re¿loríhips» fupports» prote£ts» and favours me 
to my heart's content." 

This facetious paragraph certainly alludes to fome 
unfubftantial promife he had received from the court. 
At the fame time I cannot help obferving» that his gra-r 
titude and acknowledgment to the count de Lemos»^ 
£^em to have greatly exceeded the obligation ; for» at 


X.lf£ OF CBRVANTE8. 

dns very time, while he is extolling his geiierofity, he 
gives us to underftand that his circumftances were 
extremely indigeat. 

At the very time of this dedication^ the poverty of 
Cervantes had increafed to fuch a degree of diftrefs» 
that he' was fain to fell eight plays, and as many inter- 
ludes, to Juan Villaroel, becaufe he had neither means 
nor credit for printing them at his. own expence. Thefe 
theatrical pieces, which were publi(hed at Madrid iñ 
the year. 1615, tho* counted inferior to many produc- 
tions- of Lope de Vega, have, neverthelefs, merit 
enough to perfuade the difceming reader that they 
would have fucceed^ in the repreientatlon ; but he 
wa» no favourite with the players^ who have always 
an»gated to themfelves the prerogative of judging and 
rejeéling the produ&ions of the drama y and, as they 
forbore to offer, he difdained to folicit their accep- 
tance. The truth is, he confidered zStois as the fer« 
vants of the public, who, tho' intitled to a certain 
degree of favour and encoutagcment for the entertain- 
ment they afibrd, ought ever to demean themfelves 
with modefty and refpeA for their benefa£kors *, and he. 
had often profefled himielf . an enemy to the felf-fuffi- 

ciency, iníolence, and outrageous behaviour of the 

king\S irompany, feme of whom had been guilty of (hei 

xmA flagrant crimes, and «ven committed murder- 

with impunity. 

It is fometimes in the power of the mod: iiiconfide- 

rabie wretch to mortify a chara£ker of the higheft dig-; 

nity. Cervantes, notwitbftanding his contempt of. 

fuch: petty critics, could npt help feeling the petulance. 

of a, puny player, who prefumed to depreciate the. 

talents of this venerable father of the ftage. " Some 

y^ars * a^o, fays he, I had recourfe again to my old 

* .U his preface to hU plays. 


f.iri or CBRVAHTEI, 

tnd^ on the fuppofition that the timai 
were not altered fince my name wasin fome eflámatieni 
I compofed a few pieces for the ftage ; bat foond no 
birdf in laft year'a neft$ : mj meaning is, I coreld find 
no player who would aik for my perfermancea, tho* the 
whole company knew they were finiihed «» ib that I 
threw them afide> and condemned ^m to perpetual 
Gience. Abont this time, a certain booküeUer told ms 
he would have purchafed my plays, had he not beets 
prerented by an a£lor, Who £üd that from my profe 
snuch might be expe£ked> but nothing from my verfe« 
I confeüs, I waa not a little chagrined at heatii^ thia 
declaration ; and fasd to mylelf, Either I am quite 
«Itered or the times are gready improred, contrary to 
eommon obfenra^n, by which the paft is always pre* 
farred to the prefent. I revUcd my comedies, toge^* 
ifaer with fome interludes which had lain fbme time in 
% comer, and I did not think them fo wretched, but 
that they might appeal fisom the muddy brain of this 
pbyer, to the clearer perception of other a£lots lefa 
icrupulous and more judiciou a i B eing quite out of 
humour, I parted wi¿h the copy to a bookfeller, who 
oftved me a tcderable price : I took his money, without 
giving myfelf any farther trouble about the aAors, and 
he printed them as you fee. I could wiih they were 
the heft in the world, or, at leaft, poflefled of fome 
merit. Gentle reader, thou wilt foon fee how they 
are, and if thou canft find any thing to thy liking, and 
afterwards fiiouldft happen to meet with my backbiting 
a&or, defire him, from me, to take care and mend 
himfelf ; for I ofiend no man : as for the plays, thou 
mayft tell him, they contain, no glaring nonfenfe, no 
palpable abfurdities.'' 

The fource of this indifference towards Cervantes^ 
yirt can eafily explaini by oUerring that liope de Vega 


LIFE OF CERVANTES. 

bad, 1>y this time, engrofled the theatre, and the fa* 
▼our of the ptihHe, to fuch a degree as enfured fuccefs 
to all his performances ; fo that the players would not 
run any rifk of mifcarriage, in exhibiting the produc-» 
tions of an old negle£i:ed veteran, who had neither 
inclination nor ability to fupport his theatrical pieces by 
dint of intereft and cabal. Far from being able to 
raife fa¿lions in his favour, he could hardly fubfift in 
the moil parfimonious manner, and in all probability 
would have adually ftarvedi had not the charity of the 
count de Lemos enabled him barely to breathe. 

The laft work he finilhed was a novel, intituled. 
The Troubles of Perfiles and Sigifmunda, which, 
however, he did not live to tec in print. This child 
of his old age he mentions * in the warmeft terms of 
paternal affis¿tíon, preferring it to all the reft of his 
produdions; a compliment which every author pays 
to the youngeft oilspring of his genius $ for whatever 
fentence the world may pronounce, every man thinks 
he daily improves in experience and undcrftandf ng ; and 
that in refufing the pre-eminence of his laft effort, he 
would fairly own the decay and degeneracy of his own 
talents. 

We muft not however impute the encomiums which 
Cervantes beftows upon his laft performance to this 
fond partiality alone ; becaufe the book has indubitable 
merit, and, as he himfelf fays, may prefumc to vie 
with the celebrated romance of Heliodorusf in ele- 
gance of di£tion, entertaining incidents, and fectmdity 
of invention. Before this novel faw the light, our 
author was feized with a dropfy, which gradually con* 
veyed him to his grare i and nothing could give a more 

* Preface to his no¥els. Dedication of the laft part of Don Quixote, 
f The Lores o( Theagenes «nd Chandnu 


LlfZ OF CERVANTES. / 

advantageous idea of his chara£ler9 than the fortitude 
3nd good humour which he appears to, have maintained 
to the laft moment of his life, overwhelmed as he wa3 
with mifery, old age, and an incurable diAemper. The 
preface and dedication of his Perfiles and Sigiixnunda 
contain a journal of his laft ftage, by which we are 
enabled to gueis at the precife time of his deceafc. 
** Loving reader," faid he, " as two of my friends and 
myfelf were coming from the famous townof Efquivias 
•--famous, I fay, on a thoufand accounts ; ilrft, for it$ 
illuftrious families, and, fecondly, for its more illuftriou^ 
wines, &c. I heard fomebody galloping aiftcr us, with 
intent, as I imagined, to join our company i andy in-^ 
deed, he foqn juftified 'my conjecture, by calling out 
to us to ride more foftly. We accordingly waited for 
this ftranger, who, riding up to us upon a ihe«af$| 
appeared to be a grey ftudent ; for he was cloathed in' 
grey, with country bufldns fuch as peafants wear to 
defend their legs in harveft time, round-toed ihoes, a 
fword provided, as it happened, with a tolerable chape, 
a ftarched band, and an even number of three thread 
bredes ; for the truth isj» he had but two ; and, as his 
band would every now and then ihift to one fide, he 
took incredible pains to adjuft it again." *^ Gentle- 
inen," faid he, " you are going, belike, to folicit fom^ 
poft or p^nfion at court : his eminence of Toledo muil 
be th^re, to b^ fure, or the king at leaft, by your 
inaking fuch hafte. In good faith I could hardly over-r 
take you, tho' my afs hath been more than once ap- 
plauded for a tolerable ambler." To this addrefs one 
of my companions replied, ** We are obliged to fet on 
at a good rate, to keep up with that there mettlefome 
nag, belonging to Signór Miguel de Cervantes." Scarte 
I)ad the ftudent heard my name, when fpringing from 
the back of his afs, while his pannel fell one way, ai^d 


LIVE. 09 CERVANTEá. 

hÍ8.waHct another, he ran forwards me, and taking 
hold:q£ myftirrbpi ^ Aye, ayfc,** cried he, ^^ this is the 
ÍoiiimL (hippie 1 the renowned, t^e merry writer; in a 
WOxá,\ the.d$aling:of the mufeís V* In order to make 
üdme-Teáim x6 tkoíc high compliinents, I threw my 
arms about his neck, fo that he loft his hand by the 
^gemefs of my embraces, and told him that he was 
mift Aen,'. like xnaiiy:.of my well-wiibers. ^ T am, in- 
deed, Cervantes/' faid I, ♦« bnt not the darling of the 
mufes») or.in «iiy ikápe deferring of thofe encomiums 
you. have .^faeftowed ;'be pleafed, therefore, good iignor, 
to renioiint yonr Ibcaft, and let us travel together like 
friends the reft pf the. way.** The courteous ftudent 
took my advice, and as we jogged, on foftly together^ 
tbe convcxüition happening to turn on the fubjed of 
my iUnéíS) the fttanger foon pronounced mj doom, by 
afluring me that my diftemper was a dropfy, which aU 
tbe^wat^r dF the ocean, although it were not falt^ 
would never be able to quench* << Therefore, fignor- 
Cervantes," added the ftudent, ^< you muft totally ab« 
^in from drink, but do not forget to eat heartily ; and 
tjiis regimen will eSeñ your recovery without phyfic.** 
** I have received the £ime advice from other people," 
anfwered I, '< but I cannot help drinking, as if I had 
I^n born to do nothing elfe but drink. My life is 
drawing to a period, and by die daily journal of my 
pulfe, which, 1 find, will have finiflied its courfe by 
next Sunday. at fattheft, I ihall alfo have finiflied my 
career ) fo that you come in the very nick of time to 
be acquainted with me, tho'Ifliall have no opportunity 
of (hewing how much I am obliged to you for your 
good will." By this time we had reached the Toledo 
bridge, where finding we muft part, I embraced my 
ftud^it once more, and he having returned the com- 
jdiment with great cordiality» fpune<l up his beaft, aq4 


LIFE OP CBR¥ANT£8a 

left xnt asiUdifpofedomny horfe agiie was ill movnted 
on his ais ; although my pen itched to be writing fbtne 
humorous defcription of his equipage: but, adiev my 
merry friends all ; fot I am going to die> and L liopc 
to meet you again in the other world» as happy at 
heart can wilh.'^ 

After this adventure» whidi he fo pleafantly rehtesy 
nay, even in his laft moments» he dii&ated a moft af- 
üeÁionate dedication to his patron, the count de Lemes» 
who was at that time prefident of the fupreme council 
in Italy* He begins facetioufly with a quotstíon from 
an old ballad, then proceeds to tell his escellency» 
that he had received extreme unftion, and was on the 
brink of eternity i yet he wiihed he could live to fee 
the count's return, and eren finiih the Weeks of the 
Garden, and the fecond part of Galatea» in which he 
had made fome progreis. 

This dedication was dated April ip» z^i?» tnd in 
all probability the author died the very next day, as 
the ceremony of the ttn£lion is never performed until 
the patient is fuppofed to be in extremity : certain it is» 
be did not long furvire this period \ for in September, 
a licence was granted to Donna Catalina de Salazar, 
widow of Miguel de Cerrantes Saavedra, to print the 
Troubles of Perfiles and Sigifmunda, a northern hiftory, 
which was accordingly publiihed at Madrid, and after* 
wards tranflated into Italian. 

Thus hare I colle£led and related all the material 
circumftances mentioned by hiftory and tradition, con* 
ceming the life of Cervantes, wUch I (hall conclude 
with the portrait of his peribn, drawn by his own pen, 
in the preface to his novels. His vifage was (harp and 
aquiline, his hair of a chefnut colour, his forehead 
fmooth and high, his nofe hookifli or hawkifli, his eye 
briik and cheecÁil, his mouth little, his beard origi* 


LIF£ OF CERVAMT£S. 

nally of a golden hue^ his upper lip fumiihed with 
hrge iniiftachio8> h» complexion fair, 1m ftature of 
the middling fize : and he tells us» moreover, that he 
was thick in the ihoulders, and not very light of foot. 

In a word^ Cervantes, whether confidered as a writer 
or a man, will be found worthy of univerfal approba- 
tion and efteem i as we cannot help applauding that 
fortitude and couxage which no difficulty could difturb, 
and no danger difinay | wldle we admire that delightful 
ftream of humour and invention, which flowed fo 
plenteous and fo pure, furmountlng all the mounds of 
malice and adverfitjf. 


/ i"" .. - • 

■ ■ I.I I 'i . ' '■ ■■ f ,^\: ,' ■■ ,{ [ gag 


-L HE tranilator's aim^ In this imdeitakiDg» was. to, 
maintain that ludicrous folemnity and felf-importance 
6y which th(? inimitable Cerrantes hasdiftinmiiihed' the 
chara£ker of Don Quixote» without raiCng him to the. 
infipid rank of a dry philofopheri pr debafing him to 
the melancholy circumftances and ünentertaining c;»- 
price of an ordinary madman ^ and to preferve the na- 
tive humour of Sancho Panza front degenerating into 
a mere proverbial phlegm, or afTe^led buffoonery. 

He has endeavoured to retain the fpirit and ideas, 
without fervilely adhering to the literal expreíüon of the 
original ; from which, however, he has not fo far de- 
viated, as to deftroy that formality of idiom fo peculiar 
to the Spaniards, and fo eflentiai to the chara^er o{ 
the work. 

The fatire and propriety of many allufions, which 
had been loft in the change of cuftom and lapfe of time, 
are reftored in explanatory notes; and the whole is 
conduced with that care and circumfpe£tion, which 
ought to be exerted by every author, who in attempting 
to improve upon a taik already performed, fubje¿l» 
himfelf to the moft invidious comparifon. 


PREFACE 


TO THE 


READER. 


Idle reader, without an oath thou mayft believey 
that I wifh this book, as the child of my underilanding, 
were the moil beautiful, fprightly, and difcreet pro> 
du£lion that ever was conceived. But it was not in 
my power to contravene the order of nature, in confe- 
quence of which, every creature procreates its own re- 
femblance : what therefore could be engendered in my 
barren, ill-cultivated genius, but a dry meagre ofispring, 
wayward, capricious, and full of whimfical notions pe- 
culiar to my own imagination, a3 if produced in a 
prifon, which is the feat of inconvenience, and the 
habitation of every difmal * found ? Quiet folitude^ 
pleafant fields, ferene weather, purling ftrcams, and 
tranquillity of mind, contribute fo much to the fecun- 
dity even of the moil barren genius, that it wiU bring 
forth produ£lions fo fair as to awaken the admiration 
and delight of mankind. 

A man who is fo unfortunate as to have an ugly 
child, deftitute of every grace and favourable endow- 
ment, may be fo hood-winked by paternal tendernefs, 

•• * Hence viic» ailrongptfinoptbn thst the firft part of Don QuixQte 
wu afioiUy «tittca in a jail. 


P R £ F A C £* 

that he cannot perceive his defeéls ; but on the contrary^ 
looks upon every bletniih a$ a beauty, and recounts to 
his friends every inftance of his folly as a Sample of his 
wit: but I, who, tho' feemingly the parent, am no 
other than the ftepfather of Don Quixote, will not fail 
with the ftream of cuftom, nor, like fome othei:s, 
fupplicate thee, gentle reader, with the tears in my 
eyes, to pardon or conceal the faults which thou mayft 
fpy in this produftion. Thou art neither its father nor 
kinfman ; haft thy own foul in thy own body, and a 
will as free as the fineft ; thou art in thy own houfe, 
of wUch I hold thee as abfolute mafter as the king of 
his revenue j and thou knoweft the conmion faying^ 
«* Under my cloak the king is a joke/* Thefe con- 
fiderations free and exempt thee from all manner of re- 
ftraint and obligation ; fo that thou mayft fully and 
frankly declare thy opinion of this hiftory, without fear 
of calumny for thy cenfure, and without hope of rc- 
compcnfe for thy approbation* 

I wifhed only to prcfent thee with the performance, 
dean, neat, and naked, without the ornament of a 
preface, and unincumbered with an innumerable cata- 
logue of itich fonnets, epigrams, and commendatory 
vexfes, as are generally prefixed to the produ&ions of 
the prefent age ^ for I can aflure diee, that although 
thecompofitloa of the book hath coft me fome trouble^ 
I have found more difficulty in writing this prefacCj 
whidh is now under thy infpcAion : divers and fundry 
times éiá I feize the pen, and as often laidlt afide» for 
want of knowing what to fay *, and during this uneafy 
ftafte of fttfpenfe, while I was one day ruminating on 
the fttbjed, with the paper before me, the quill behind 
my ear, my elbow fixed on. the table^ and my cheek 
leaning qa my hand } a friend of mine who jfqScSks a 
great fund of humour and an exeelknt underftaiidingy 


P R É P Á G If. 

fuddenlf entered the apartment, and finding me in this 
mufing pofture, aiked the caufe of my being fo con-* 
tempiatiye ? As I had no occafion to conceal the nature 
ci mj perplexity, I told him I was ftudying a preface 
for the hiftory of Don Quixote ; a taik which I found 
fo difficulty that I was refolved to defift, and even fup- 
prefs the adventures of fuch a noble cavalier : for you 
may very eaíily fuppofe how much I mail be confounded 
at the animadveriions of that antient law-giver the vul- 
gar, when it ihall fee me, after fo many years that I 
hare ilept in filence and in oblivion, produce, in my 
old age» a performance as dry as a rufli, barren of in» 
vention, meagre in ftile, beggarly in conceit, and utterly 
deftitute of wit and erudition ; without q^iotations in 
the margin, ct annotations at the end ; as we fee in 
other books, let them be never fo fabulous and profane : 
indeed they are generally fo ftuflFed with apophthegms 
from Ariftotle, Plato^ and the whole body of philofo- 
pherS) that they excite the admiration of the readersi 
who look upon fuch authors a$ men of unbounded 
knowledge, eloquence, and eradition» When they 
bring a citation from the holy Scripture, one would 
take jthem for fo many St. Thomas's and other do£lors 
of the church ; herein obferving fuch ingenious deco^ 
mm» that in one line they will reprefent a frantic lover, 
and in the very next begin with a godly fermon, from 
which the dnrifiian readers, and even the hearers, 
receive much comfort and edification^ Now, my book 
muft appear without all ihtk advantages ; for I can 
neither quote in the margin, nor note in the end; 
nor do I know what authors I have imitated, that I 
may^ like the reft of my brethren, prefix them to the 
work in alphabetical order, beginning with Ariftotle, 
and ending in &enophon, Zoilus, or Zeuxis, though 
one was a backbiter, and the other a painter. My 

VOL. I. c 


:P IV ; V A C B. 

hiftory mud likewifc be publiihed without poems at Úns 
beginning, at leaft without fonnets written by dukes» 
marquiíTesy counts, bifliops, ladies, and ce]d>rated 
poets : although, ihould I make the demand, I know 
two or three good-natured friends who would oblige 
me with fuch verfes as ihould not be equalled by the 
moil famous poetry in Spain. 

In a word, my good friend, faid I, fignor Don 
Quixote ihall be buried in the archives of la Mancha» 
until Heaven (Iiall provide foáie perfon to adorn }nm 
with thofe decorations he feems to want ; for I find 
myfelf altogether unequal to the taik, through infuffi* 
ciency and want of learning ; and becaufe I am natu- 
rally too baihful and inxlolent to go in queft of authors 
to fay what I myiielf can fay as well without thcif 
ai&ftance. Hence arofe my thoughtfulnefs and medi- 
tation, which you will not wonder at, now that yott 
have heard the caufe. My friend, having liftened at- 
tentively to my remonllrance, flapped his forehead with 
the palm of his hand, and burfting into a loud laugh : 
*^ Fore God ! brother, faid he, I am now undeceived 
ef an error, in which I have lived during the whole 
term of our acquaintance ; for I always Ipoked upon 
you as a perfon of prudence and difcretion ; but now, 
I fee, you are as far from that charad:er as heaven is 
diftant from the earth. What ! is it poffiblc that iuch 
^ trifling inconvenience, fo eafily remedied, ihould 
have power to mortify and perplex a genius like yours, 
brought to fuch maturity, and fo well calculated to 
demoliih and furmount much greater diiHculties ? In 
good faith this does not proceed from want of ability, 
but from ezceflive indolence, that impedes the exercifc 
of reafon. If you would be convince^ of the truth of 
what I allege, give me the hearing, and in the twink- 
ling of an eyCj all your difficulties Ihall vanifli^ and a 


PREFACE. 

remedy be prefóribed for all thofe deferís whichi you 
fiiy> perplex your underftanding, and deter you from 
iOieririg f o the light your hiftory of the renowned Don 
^^íxoté, úie luminary and fole mirror of knight-erran- 
try." Hearbg this declaration^ I defired he would tell 
me in what manner he propofed to' fill up the vacuity 
6f my apprehenfion^ to difiufe liglift» and reduce to 
tíxáet the chaos of my confufion^ and he repliedj 
^* Tour firft objed^ion^ namelyi the want of fonnets, 
epigrams, and commendatory verfes from períbns of 
tank «nd gravity, may be obviated, by your taking the 
frottble to compofe them yourfdf, and then you may 
chriften them by any name you fiiall think proper to 
ihoofe, fathering them upon Frefter John of the 
Indies, or the tmperor of Trebifond, who, I am well 
informed, were very famous poets : and even ihould 
diis intelfigence be untrue, and a few pedants and 
bachelors of arts ihould back-btte and grumble at your 
conduft, you need not value them three farthings ; for, 
although they convid you of a lie, they cannot cut off 
the hand that wrote it K 

With regard to the pra£kice of quoting in the mar- 
gin, fuch books and authors as have fumiflied you with 
fentences and faying3 for tihe embellifliment of your 
hiftory, you have nothing to do, but to fcafon the work 
with fome Latin maxims, which your own memory 
will fuggeft, or a little induftry in fcarching, eafily 
obtain : for example, in treating of freedom and cap- 
tivity, you may fay, •* Non bene pro toto libertas 
venditur auro:" and quote Horace, or whom you 
pleafe, in the margin. If the power of death happens 
to be your fubjed, you have at hand, "Pallida mors 
sequo puUat pede pauperum tabernas regumque turres." 

* AUndingto tbckifi of hU hand in the battle of Lepaata. 


PREFACE» 

^nd in ezpatiatmg upon that love and fricndfliip which 
God commands us to entertain even for our enemfes» 
you may have recourfe to the holy Scripture, though 
you ihould hare never fo little curiofityj and iay, in the 
very words of God himfelf, "Ego autem di^o vobis, dtli* 
gite inimicos veftros." In explaining the nature of ma- 
levolence, you may again eztraéi from the Gofpel, '* De 
corde exeunt cogitationes malae." And the inftabiKtjp 
of friends may be aptly illuftrated by this diftidi o£ 
Cato, << Donee eris felix, multos numerabis amicos^^ 
témpora fi fuerint nubila, folus eris." By thefe> and 
other fuch fcraps of Latin» you may pafs for an able 
grammarian ; a charader of no fmall honour and advan-* 
tage in thefe days. And as to the annotation^ at the 
end of the book, you may fafely furniih them in this 
manner : when you chance to write about giants, be 
fure to mention Goliath, and this name alone, which 
coils you nothing, will aiSbrd a grand annotation^ 
couched in thefe words : ** The giant Golias, or Goliat, 
was a Fhiliftine, whom the ihepherd David flew with 
a ftone from a fling, in the valley of Terebinthus, as it 
is written in fuch a chapter of the book of Kings." 

If you have a mind to difplay your erudition and 
knowledge gf cofmographyi take an opportunity to 
introduce the river Tagus into your hiftory, and this 
will fupply you with another famous annotation, thus 
exprefled : " The river Tagus, fo called from a king 
of Spain, takes its rife in fuch a place, and is loft in the 
fea, after having kifled the walls of the famous city of 
Jjiibon ; and is faid to have golden fands, &c." If 
you treat of robbers, I will relate the ftory of Cacus, 
which I have by rote. If of harlots, the bifliop of 
Mondonnedo will lend you a Lamia, a Lais,, and a 
Flora, and fuch a note will greatly redound to your 
credit* When you write of cruelty, Ovid will furyen-t 


PREFACE. 

det hU Medea* When you mention wizzards and en« 
chanterS) you will find a Calypfo in Homer» and a 
Circe in Virgil. If you have occafion to fpeak of va« 
liant captains» Julius Cxfar (lands ready drawn in his 
own Commentaries ; and from Plutarch you may ex- 
traA a thouiand Alexanders. If your theme be love» 
and you have but two ounces of. the.Tufcan tongues 
you will light upon Leon Hebreo» who will fill up the 
meafure of your defire : and if you do not choofe to 
travel into foreign countries» you have at home Fon-* 
feca*s treatife» On the love of God» in which all that 
jfou» or the mod ingenious critic can defire» is fully 
decyphered and difcufled. In a word» there is nothing 
more to be done» than to procure a number of thefe 
names» and hint at their particular ftories in your text ; 
and leave to me the talk of making annotations and 
quotations» with which Til engage» on pain of death» to 
^1 up all the margins^ befides four whole (beets at the 
end of the bpok. Let ys now proceed to the citation 
of authors» fo frequent in other bookss and fo little 
ufed in your performani:e ; the remedy is obvious and 
eafy : take the trouble to find a book that quotes the 
whole tribe alphabetically» as you obferved from Alpha 
to Omega, and transfer them into your book ; and tho* 
the abfurdity (hould appear never fo glaring» as there 
is no necel&ty for ufing fucb names» it will fignify 
nothing. Nay» perhaps» fome reader will be weak 
enough to believe you have a£lually availed yourfelf 
of all thofe authors» in the fimple and fincere hiftory 
you have compofed ; and if fuch a large catalogue of 
writers (hould anfwer no other purpofe, it may ferve at 
firft light tp give fome authority to the produ¿lion : nor 
will any perfon take the trouble to examine» whether 
you have or have not followed thofe originals, becaufe 
he can reap no benefit from his labour. But if I am 


PRE P A C k. 

jlot miftalcn, your book needs none of thofe embeU 
lifhmcnts in which you fay it is dcfcftive ; for it is one 
continued fatire upon books of chivalry^ a fubjcft which 
Ariftotle never inveftigated, St. Bafil never mentioned, 
ind Cicero never explained. The puniluality of truth, 
and the obfervations of aftrology fall not within the 
fabulous relation of our adventures ; to the description 
bf which, neither the proportions of geometry, nor the 
confirmation of rhetorical arguments, are of the leaft 
Importance} nor hath it any connexion with preaching, 
or mingling divine truths with human imagination ; a 
mixture which no chriftian's fancy ihould conceive. It 
only feeks to avail itfelf of imitation, and the more 
perfcGt this is, the more entertaining the book wiB be : 
now, as your fole sum in writing, is to invalidate the 
authority, and ridicule the abfurdity of tkofe books of 
chivalry, which have, aa it were, fafcinated the eyes and 
judgment of the world, and in particular of the migar» 
you haVe no occafion to go a begging maxims from 
philofophers, exhortations from holy writ, fables from 
poets, fpeeches from orators, or miracles from faints \ 
your bufinefs is, with plain» fignificant, well chofen 
and elegant words, to render your periods fonorous, 
and your ftyle entertaining 5 to give fpirit and expref- 
fion to all your defcriptions, and communicate your 
ideas without obfcurity and confufion^ You muft en- 
deavour to write in fuch a manner as to convert me* 
lancholy into mirth, incrcafe good humour, entertain 
the ignorant, excite the admiration of the learned, ef- 
cape the contempt of gravity, and attrafl: applaufe from 
perfons of ingenuity and tafte. Finally, let your aim 
be levelled againft that ill-founded bulwark of idle books 
of chivalry, abhorred by many, but applauded by more, 
which if you can batter down, you will have atchiev^i 
ed no inconfiderable exploit." 


PREFACE. 

I Kftened to my friend's advice in profound filence, 
and his remarks made fuch impreffion upon my mind» 
that I admitted them without helitation or difpute, and 
refolved that they ihould appear inftead of a preface. 
Thou wilt^ therefore^ gentle reader^ perceive his dif- 
cretion, and my good luck in finding fuch a counfellor 
in fuch an emergency ; nor wilt thou be forry to re- 
ceive, thus genuine and undifguifed, the hiftory of the 
renowned Don Quixote de la Mancfhai who, in the 
opinion of all the people that live in the diftrift of 
Montiel, was the moft virtuous and valiant knight who 
had appeared for many years in that neighbourhood. I 
ihall not pretend to inhance the merit of having intro* 
duced thee to fuch a famous and honourable cavalier ; 
but I ezpe£k thanks for having made thee acquainted 
with Sancho Panza, in whom I think are united all 
the fquirifli graces which we find fcattered through the 
whole tribe of vain books written on the fubje£b of chi- 
valry. So, praying that God will give thee health, 
without forgetting fuch an humble creature as mé, I 
bid thee heartily farewell. 




ali- 

Tlftf 

. hich, 

.night 

loo 

he aiC- 

3ancho 

A 205 

Hfcoarfe 

and his 

venturo 

eard-of 

valiant 

ichleis 

ly cx- 

ft re- 

136* 

Ihin- 

hel-. 

hap« 

'leo 

ty *. 

^ho> 

igo- 

.281 

xthe 

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re 

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# V » 


CONTENTS. 


VOL. I — PART I —BOOK I. 

Crap. I. Of the qualiCjrand amafe- 
mencs of the renowned Don Quiz- 
óos de ia Mancha. - p. i 

IL Of the (age Don Quixote's firft 
ially from hu own habitation. i a 

nL The diverting expedient of Don 
QgixoCe in order to be knighted. 24 

rv. Of what befel our knight, when 
he íáUied from the inn. 36 

V. In which the flory of our knight's 
misfortune is continued. 48 

VI. Of the diveiting- fcrutiny per- 
formed by the curate and bariwr» in 
the library of our íagacious hero. 56 

VII. The íécond iálly of our worthy 
knight DoQ Qjiizoce. - 69 

VUL Of the happy fucceis of the va- 
liaaC Doa Qpizote, and the dreadful 
adventur» of the wind-mills. 7S 

PART. I.«— BOOK II. 
Cbap. J. The GonclufioQ andconfe- 
qneooe of the terrible combat be- 
tween the gallant Biucayan^ and the 
Taliant knight of La Mancha. 93 

II. Of what farther happened betveeen 
oar knight and the Bifcajran. xoa 

III. Of what happened to Don Quix- 
ote, with the goat-herds> 1 11 

IV. What was related by a goat-herd, 
who came into the hut 113 

V. The conclusion of the ftory of the 
Siepherdeis Marcella. 134 

PART L— BOOK m. 

Chap. I. Wherein is recounted the 
adventure which happened to Don 
Quixote, in meeting \^iúk certain 
unmerciful Yanguefians. 163 

]J. The adventure that happened to 
this Cigacious knight at the imi, 
which he míüook for a cañle* 176 


liL Containing the fequel of thofe in« 
credible grievances which the vali- 
ant Don Quixote, and his truil^ 
fquire underwent at the inn, which, 
for their misfortune, the kmght 
miilook for a caiUe. - 1^0 

IV. Jo which is recounted the dif- 
coorfe that pafled between Sancho 
and his mafter Don Qpixote. 205 

V. An account of the (age difcourfe 
that pafled between Sancho and his 
maiter: the fucceediiig adventure 

.of the corpfe. - 213 

Vi. Of the unfeen and unheard-(i 
adventure atchieved by the valiant 
Don Qiiixote de la Mancha, with left 
hazard than ever attended any ex- 
ploit performed by the moft re- 
nowned knight on earth. 136 
VII. Of the fubliroe adventure and Ihin- 
ing acquifition of Mambñno's hel->. 
met ; with other accidents that hap- 
penod to our invincible knight. 200 
Vlil. Don Quixote lets at liberty a^ 
number of unfortunate people, who, 
much agaiuil their wills, were go- 
ing a journey not Co their likÁng. iSz 

IX. Of what befel Don Quixote ia the 
brown mountain ; being one of the, 
moÁfurprifmg adventures recount- 
ed in this hiftory. - 300 

X. The continuation of the adventure 
in the Sierra Morena. 31 z 

XI. Of the ilrange adventures that 
happened to our knight in the Si- 
erra Morena, where be did penance, 
in imitation of Beltenebros. 336 

XII. A continuation of the refine^ 
ments in love, praéHfed by Don 
Quixote, in the browiT mountain. 365 

XIU. How the curate and barber fet 
out on the execution of their pUn ; 
with other events. - 37* 


CONTENTS 


Vol. II. 


PART L— BOOK IV. 

Chap. 1- Of the new adventure that 
happened to the curate and barber, 
in the brown mountain. p. 1 

IL Of the beautiful Dorothea's diicre- 
tioo; with other particulars. %j 

Vol. L 


III. The pleafiint artifice to extricate 
our knight from the penance he 
had impofed upon himielf. 49 

IV. The ¿youry converiation that 
pafl¿d between Don Quixote and 
his fquire Sancho Panza. ÍÍ9 

d 


CONTENTS 


vols, fl-^m. 


V* Of wliat happened to Don Ottixot* 
and his company at the inn. 86 

VI. The novel of the Impertinent 
Curiofity. - 98 

VII* The continuatiua of th« Imper- 
tinent Cudofity. - - 133 

VIII. The coodufion of the Imperti- 
nent Curiofity. - 167 

IX. An account of other adventures 
that happened at the inn. 183 

X. A continuation of the hiAofy of 
the princefs Mioomicona. aoo 

XI. The fequel of Don (luixote's dif- 
courfe on learning and war* a 1 8 

XIL In which the captive rcooun^s 
his lile and adventures. 216 

XUL A continuation of the captive's 
hiHory. - - 241 

XIV. Continuation of the captive's 
adventures. - 263 

XV. Of what ñirther happened at 
the inn. • - 298 

XVI. The agreeable ftory of the 
young muleteer^ with other inci- 
dents that happened at the inn. y i 

XVII. Continuation of the furprifmg 
events that hf^pened at the inn. 328 


XVIII. The deciiion of the doubtd 
concerning Mambrino's helmet and 
tliepannel.^ - 344 

XIX. In whicfaiscoodudadthenota.^ 
ble adventure of the troopers; with 
an account of the furprifing fero- 
city o£ our worthy knight. 358 

XX. Aa account of the ftrange man- 
ner in which Don Qgiaote was en- 
chanted. - - 374 

XXI. In which the canon profecutei 
the fubjeél of knight-errantry, and 
makes cMervaition» worthy his ge- 
nius. • - 392 

XXil. The fage converiation tbskt 
pafled between Sanciio Panza and 
his mailer Dan Qgiicote. 406 

XXIil« Of the fago conteft between 
Don Quixote and the canon. 419 

XXIV. The ftory which the goat- 
herd recounted to tíie condudors 
of Don Quixote» - 431 

XXV. Of the quarrel between Don 
Quixote and the goat-herd, with 
the adventure of the difciplinants» 
which the knight atchieved witli 
the fweat of his brow. 441 


CONTENT S— — Vot. IIL 


PART II BOOK i: 

Chap. I. Of the behaviour of the 
curate and barber, with regard to 
Don Quixote's infirmity. p. i 

II. The notable fray that happened 
between Sancho and Don Quixote's 
niece and houfekeeper. 20 

III. The ludicrous converfation that 
paflbd between Don Quixote, San- 
cho Panza, and the bachelor. 28 

IV. In which Sancho Panza fatisfíes 
the doubts, and anfwers the queili- 
ons of bachelor Sanipfon Carrafco ; 
with other incidents. 41 

V. Of the fage and pleafant dialogue 
between Sancho Panza and his wife 
Terefa Panza, with other incidents 
worthy to be recorded. 51 

VI. Of what pañed between Don 
Quixote, his niece, and houfekeep- 
er, being one of the moft impor- 
tant chapters of this hifiory. 62 

VI I. Of what pañed between Don 
Quixote and ina fquire* 71 


Vin. An account of what happened 
to Don Quixote, in his journey to 
vifit his miitrefs Dulcinea. 83 

IX. Which contains what you wiU 
fee in the perufal of it. 95 

X. Gives an account of the (Iratagem 
which Sancho pra^fed, in order 
to enchant the lady Dulcinea. loi 

XI. Of the ilrange adventure which 
befel the valiant Don Quixote, with 
tlie cart or waggon containing the 
Parliament of Deatli. 1 17 

XI(. Of the adventure that happened 
to Don Quixote, in his encounter 
with the knight of the mirrours. iz8 

XIII. In which is continued the 'ad- 
venture of the knight of the wood ; 
with a fage and agreeable dialogue 
between- the two fquires. 1 3 8 

XIV. The adventure of the knight 
of the wtXMl is continued. 149 

XV. Which gives an acoount of the 
knight of Che mirrours and fquire. 

16S 


C o M T B ITT 


YOLS. Ill ^ IV. 


^Vh What h a p p e n ad to Ddn Qsix- 
ote, with a («ntkouui oí L« Man- 
cha* • - 171 

SCVil. Which fets befora the readsr 
chat moft ex^ed pinoacley which 
the iocrediU* ñaagoaiúmity of 0on 
Quixote ever did, dr ever cotild ar- 
rive at, with the hapfiy ifiiie tíf the 
adventure of the lions. 1S9 

PART IL— ^BOOK U. 

CiiA». L OfwiMt befel Don Quixote 
at the caftle or houfe of the knight 
of the Green Surtout ; witii other 
out-of-the-way matter» soS 

II* In which is reoomitad the advan- 
tare of the anannored Ihephefd. ^13 

UL An account of the wedding of 
Cwnarho the rich, and what hap- 
pened to Bafilins the poor* ^6 

IV. Which oontinoes to tnac of Ca- 
macho's wedding. >« «51 

V. In which if recowited the adven- 
ture of the cave of Montefinos, in 
La Mancha, happily atehieved by 
the valiant Uoo Quixote. 26% 

VI. Of the wond^nil incidents re- 
counted by the extravagant Don 
Qmxote, who pretended to have 
iaeo them in the cave of Mo n te fin es ; 
from the impoflibility of which this 
adventure has been deemed apocry- 
phal* - - 176 

VU. In which are recounted a thou- 
find fooleries, equally impertinent 
and neceflary to the true rnider- 
ftanding of tÚs fublime hiilory. 294 

VI IL In which is the braying adven- 
ture, the diverting atchievement 
of the puppets, and the memorable 


refponfes of the divining ftpe. 30 $ 

IX. In which is continued the divert- 
ing adventure of the pnppet-lhow; 
with others entertaining enough. $%i 

X. In which the reader will difoover 
who Mr. Peter and his ape were ; 
together with Don Quixote's bad 
fnccefs in the braying adventure 336 

XI. Of things related bj Beneng&, 
which he who reads will know* 348 

XII. Of the famous adventure of the 
enchanted bark. - 357 

XIU. Of what pafled between Don 
Qgixote and a tíür huntreís. 369 

XIV. Which treats of manifold im- 
portant fubje^. - .377 

XV. Containing Don Qgixote's reply 
to hie reprover. - 391 

BOOK III. 

CitAr.I. OfthepleaHsuitconverfation 

that paiTed between the duchefs, 

her women, and Sancho; worthy 

to be read and ronembered. 415 

II. Which gives an account 6f the in- 
fonnatlon received touching the 
means for difenchanting the peer- 
lefi» Dulcinea del Tobofo. 428 

III. Being a continuation of what was 
imfkarted to Don Qnixote, teaching 
the means for difenchanting Dulci- 
nea. - - 441 

IV. Which gives an aocoont of the 
perilous adventure of the affliéled 
Duenna, together with a letter 
which Sancho Panza wrote te his 
wife Terefa Panza. - 453 

V. In which is continued the adven- 
ture of the afflicted duenna. 463 


CONTENTS 


Vol. IV. 


PART n BOOK III. 

CRAr. VI. Which recounts the mis- 
fortune of the affliéled duenna, p. i 

Vil. in which the lady Trifaldi pro- 
ceeds with her ilupendous ftory. 11 

VIII. Of circumftances appertaining 
to this memorable (lory. 17 

IX. Of Clavileno's arrival, and the 
conclniion of this adventure. a 6 

X. Containing Don Qgixote's inílruc- 
tions to Sancho Panza, before he 


fet out for his government. 4$ 

XI. Of the fecond feries of inílruéli- 
ons Don Quixote gave to Sancho. 5 $ 

XII. Of the manner in which Sancho 
' was conducted to the government, 

and a ilrange adventure that liap- 
pened to Don Quixote in the caitle. 

XIII. The manner in which Sancho 
Panza took poífeíTion of his iiland, 
and began his adminiftration. Si 


CONTENT S— -VOL. IV. 


XIV. Of the dreadful alarm and cat- 
tiih concert to which Don <^uixote 
wasexpofeJ, in the courfe of the 
enamoured Altifidora's amour. 93 

XV. A farther account of Sancho's 
behaviour in his goverment. 100 

XVl Of Don Qiiixote*s adventure 
with Donna Rodriguez, Che duch- 
eis's duenna. - 1x5 

XVII. Of what happened to Sancho 
going the round of his iilaad. 130 

XVJII. Which declares who were the 
enchanters Üiat fcourged the diaenna, 
aad pinched and (cratched Don 
Quixote ; together with the expedi- 
tion of the page, who carried the 
letter to Terefa Panza. 149 

XIX. Of the progrefs of Sancho Pan- 
za's government. - 164 

XX. In which is recorded the adven- 
ture of the fecond afflidled, .or for- 
rowful matron. Donna Rodriguez. 

179 

BOOK IV. 
CHAr. I. Of the toilful conclufion of 
Sancho Panza's government. 19a 

II. Which treats of matters belonging 
to this hiftory, and no other. 20a 

III. Of certain accidents that befel 
Sancho upon the road; and other 
circumftanccs, which to know you 

. need only look, forward. 216 

IV. Of the dreadful and unfeen battle 
fought between Don Quixote and 
the lacquey Tofilos, in behalf of the 
daughter of Rodriguez the duenna. 

130 

V. Ofthe manner in which Don Quix- 
ote took leave of the duke ; and of 
what pafifed between him and the 
gay and witty AluHdora, one of the 
duchefs's damfels. - 239 

VI. Shewing how adventures throng- 
ed upon Don Quixote fo thick as to 
entangle one another. 246 

ViJ. The extraordinary adventure 
that happened to Don Quixote, and" 
may well pafs for an adventure. 267 


VIII. Of what befel Don Quixote in 
his way to Barcelona. aSa 

IX. Of what happened to the knight 
on his entrance into Barcelona, with 
other matters that partake more of 
truth than of difcretion. 306 

X. Containing the adventure of the 
enchanted head, with othpr inci- 
dents, not to be omitted. 3 1 2 

XI. Of the misfortune which befel 
Sancho- Panza on board of -the gal- 
lies, and the rare adventure of the 
beautiful Moor. - 334 

XII. Giving the detail of an adventure 
which gave Don Quixote more mor- 
tification than he had receded from 
all the misfortunes which had hi- 
therto befeUen him. - 35a 

XUl. Which diicovers who the knight 
of the white moon was, and gives 
an account of the deliverance of Don 
Gregorio. - - 360 

XIV. Treating of that which will be 
feen by him who reads, and known 
by him who hears it 370 

XV. Of the refolution which Don 
Quixote took to become a fhepheid 
and lead a pailoral life. 379 

XVI. Of the briftly adventure in 
which. Don Quixote was involved. 

38S 

XVIL -Of the ftrangeft adventure that 

happened to Don Quixote in the 

courfe of this fublime hiftory. 397 

XVIII. Which foUows die preceding, 
and treats of matters that muil be 
difdofed, to make the hiftory the 
more intelligible and diftindl. 406 

XIX. Of what happened to Don Quix- 
ote and his fquire, in their journey 
to tlieir own village. 4 1 9 

XX. Don Quixote's arrival at his own 
habitation. - 429 

XXI. Of the omens that occurred to 
Don Quixote when he eutercd the 
village ; with other incidents which 
adorn this fublime hiilory. 438 

XXli. Giving an account of Don 
Quixote's laA illnefs and death. 447 


THE 


ATCHIEVEMENTS 


AF TBS 9AGR AND rAtiJNT KNIGHT 


DON CLU I X O T E 

DE LA MANCHA. 


PART L BOOK I. 


C H A P. L 

Of the quality and amufimmts rf tbi rmmxmii D^t 

fixate tk la Mancha. 

I N a certain comer of la Mancha, the name 
of which I do not choofe to remember, there 
lately lived one of thofe country gentlemen 
who adorn their halls with a nifty lance and 
worm-eaten target, and ride forth on the ike- 
leton of a horfe, to courfe with a fort of a 
ftarved greyhound. 

Three-fourths of his income were fcarce 
fuificient to afford a diih of hodge-podge, in 
which the mutton bore no proportion to the 

Vot. I. B 


Z üouqjJixoT% 

beef,* for dinner ; a plate of falmagundy, com- 
monly at fuppcr t ; gripes and grumblings J on 
Satmrdays, lentils on Fridays, and the addi-^ 
tion of a pigeon, or fome fuch things on the 
Lord's-day* The remaining part of his te-» 
venue was confumed in the purchafe of a fine 
black fuit, with velvet bieeches and flippers 
of the fame, for holy-days; and a coat of 

^ Mutlao ¡n Spain i»emint«d srattly pidbráble to bee£ 

f SalpuoMf which ¡8 the word ¡n tiie original, is no other than oold 
beef flicedj wad Mien with oil, vin^jir^ anA pepper. 

% Gripes and grumblings, in Spaniih Dmln j ^¿uh-aiuos $ the^trtie 
meaning of which tlie former tranflatort have been at great pams to 
i n T ciUga te, as the importante of the fubied (no doubt) required. 
But their labours have, oohappUjr, ended in notUng etfe but conjee** 
tures, which, for the en te i taln ment and InÜnidion of our readers, we^ 
beg leave to repeat. One interprets the phrafe into coUops and eggs, 
*' being, iaith he, a very forry diih.** ]n tlys dedfion, however, he 
¡s contradided by anotiier commentator, who afiirms, ^* it is a mefs 
too good to mortify withal ;** neither can this virtuofo agree with » 
1«» cdiaor» wba trandates the paAgjS hi queilion infto an amlet | 
but takes occafion to fall oot with Boyer filr his defoription of that 
diih, which he moft (agacioofly underftands to faie a '' bacon froize,** 
or rather fryze, from its being fried, from frit in French $ and cow 
chidts with this >uScioiis qneiy, << after all thefs learned dlfqqifiliQQit 
wlio knows but the author means a difli of nichils T* If this was his 
oMBAing indeed, forely we may venture to conclude, that filling was 
wry ca qc wfiv c in U Mancha $ for the author mentiooa the Dtuhtjf 
Sfuetrantos among thofe articks that confomed tiuee-fouiths of the 
knigfat*s income. 

Hairing ip u idersd this momentous a£Ur with aH the deliberation 
it dcCsrves^ we in onr turn piefont the reader with cucumbcis, greens» 
or peafe-porridge, as the fruit of our induihious refearcHesj being 
thereunto determined by the literal flgniñcation of the text, which 
is not ^' grumblings and groanings,** as the laft-mentioned ingenious 
annotator (eems to think, but rather pains ai^ breakings ^ and evi- 
dently poims at fuch eatables as generate and cxpci wind | qualities 
(as ev«nr bo^y knows) eminently mheitnt in thofe vegetables wt haw 
ms&tioncd as our ben>*s Satiuday's xepaiU 


DON QJU I X O T E« ^ 

bome-fpuQ, which he wore in honour of hi* 
country, during the reft of the week- 
He maintained a female }iouiekeeper turn* 
ed of forty, a niece of about half that age, 
and a trufty young fellow, fit for field and 
market, who cpuld turn his hand to any. 
thing, either to faddle the horfe or handle the 
hioe*, 

Om* Hquire, who bordi?r^ ypon fifty, was 
pf a tough conftiuition, eytr^mely meagre, 
and hard featured^ an early rifer, and in point 
ef ex«Drcife, another Nimrod t- He i« faid to 
have gone by the name of Qjiixada, or <9^fa« 
da, (for in thi$ particular, the authors who 
mention that circumftance, difagree,) though»* 
from the moft probable conjedures, we may 
eoQclude, that he was called by the figni- 
ficant name of Qy.ixada I ; bul tbÍ3 is of fmall 
importance to the hiftory, in the courfe of 
which it will be fufiicient if we fwerve not 
a tittle from the truth. 

Be it known, therefore, that this faid ho» 
9eñ gentleman, at his leifure hours, which en- 
grofled the greateft part of the year, addi¿led 
himfelf to the reading of books of chivalry, 

* Podadera literally fignifies a pruning-hook. 

f ]a the original, a lov«r of hunting» 

X S^uixadoi fignifies jaws, of Which our knight had an extraordloarj 
provifioiik 


4 DON <^U I X O T E. 

which he perufed with fuch rapture and ap- 
plication, that be not only forgot the pleafures 
of the chace, but alfo utterly neglefted the 
management of his eftate : nay, to fuch a pafs 
did his curiofity and madnefs in this particu- 
lar drive him, that he fold many good acres 
of Terra Firma, to purchafe books of knight- 
errantry, with which he furnilhed his library 
to the utmoft of his power; but none of 
them pleafed him fo much as thofe that were 
written by the famous Feliciano de Silva, 
whom he admired as the pearl of all authors, 
for the brilliancy of his profe, and the beau- 
tiful perplexity of his exprefiion. How was 
he tranfported when he read thofe amorous 
complaints, and doughty challenges, that fo 
often occur in his works ! 

** The reafon of the unreafonable ufage my 
reafon has met with, fo unreafons my reafon, 
that I have reaibn to complain of your beau- 
ty;" and how did he enjoy the following 
flower of compófition ! " The high heaven of 
your divinity, which with ftars divinely for- 
tifies your beauty, and renders you merito- 
rious of that merit, which by your highnefs 
is merited.'* 

The poor gentleman loft his fenfcs in 
poring over, and attempting to difcover, the 
meaning of thcfe and other fuch rhapfodies. 


DONQ^UIXOTB. 5 

which Ariftotle kimfelf would not be able to 
unraveU were he to rife from the dead for 
that purpofe only. He could not comprehend 
the probability of thofe direful wounds, given 
and received by Don Bellianis, whpfe face, 
and whole carcafe, muft have remained quite 
covered with marks and fears, even allowing 
him to have been cured by the moil expert 
fui^eons of the a%e in which he lived. 

He, notwithftanding, beftowed great com* 
mendadons on the author, who concludes hia 
book with the promife of finilhing that inter- 
minable adventure ; and was more than once 
inclined to feize the quill, with a view of per-» 
forming what was left undone ; nay, he would 
have afhially accompliihed the affair, and 
publiihed it accordingly, had not ref)e¿lion9 
of greater moment employed his ims^^ination, 
and diverted him from the execution of that 
defign* 

Divers and obflinate were the difputes he 
maintained againft the parfon of the pariih 
(a man of fome learnii^, who had uken his 
degrees at Siguenza,^) on that puzzling quef« 
tion, whether Palmerin of England, or Ama-? 
dis de Gaul, was the moil illuilrious knightf 
errant ? But mailer Nicholas, who a¿led as 

* SgueioMf a town fituated on the banks oí tbe Henares, ¡n Nevt 
CaiUle, in which there U a fioatf unhretfity. 


6 vov qjs ixort. 

baiber to the Tillage, affirmed, that hone of 
them equalled the Knight of the Sun^ or in* 
deed could bjc compared to him in any de-> 
giee, except Don Galaor, brother of Amadia 
de Gaul ; for his difpofition was adapted to all 
emergencies: he was neither fuch a precife 
nor fuch a puling coxcomb as his brother; 
and in point of valour his equal at leait. 

So eager and entangled was our Hidalgo * in 
this kind of hiftory, that he would often read 
from morning to night, and from night to 
morning again, without interruption; till at 
laft, the moiilure of his brain being quite ex* 
haufted with indefatigable watching and ftudy, 
he fairly loft his wits : all that he had read 
of quarrels^ enchantments, battles, challenges» 
wounds, tortures, amorous complaints, and 
other improbable conceits, took &11 pofleflion 
of his fancy ; and he believed all thofc ro- 
mantic exploits fo implicidy, that, in his 
opinion, the holy fcripture was not more true. 
He obferved that Cid Ruydias was an excel* 
lent knight; but not equal to the Lord of 
the Flaming-fword, who with one back-ftroke 
had cut two fierce and monftrous giants 
through the middle. He had ftill a better opi* 
nion of Bernardo del Carpió, who, at the 

* Htialgo his much the íame application in Spain as *Squire in Eng- 
ted } tboQgh k literally íigniñes the fun of fomctMn;, in contradií^ 
Cindkm to thofe who are tlie^ms of nothing. 


DOM qju ixoriBk ff 

batde of Roñcevalles, put the enchanted Or« 
latido^ to death, by the faine means that 
Hercules ufed, when he ñrangled the eardu 
bom Antena. Neither was he filent in the 
praife of Moigante^ who, though of that gi- 
gantic race which is noted for infolence and 
incivility, nVas perfe¿Uy affable and well-bred. 
But his chief fayourite was Reynaldo of Moat- 
alban, whom he hugely admixed for his 
prowefS) in fallying from his caille to rob 
travellers, and above all things, for his dex« 
terity in ftealing that idol of the impofior Ma** 
hornet, which, according to the hiftory, was 
of folid gold. For an opportunity of pom- 
melling the traitor f Galalon^ he would wil- 
lingly have given his houie-keeper, body and 
foul, nay and his niece into the bargain. In 
ihort^ his underftanding being quite perverted, 
he was feized with the ftiangeft whim that 
ever entered the brain of a madman. This 
was no other than a full perfiiafion, that it 
was highly expedient and neceffary, not only 
for his own honour, but alfo for the good of 
the public, that he ihould pro&is knight-erran« 
try, and ride through the world in arms tQ 

* OrLuidOy the (upjpoCed D«pbew of Cbarleimgne, and poedcal hero 
of Boiardo and Áñofto» is faid to havt been ¡nvulnenUe in aO parts ó£ 
Ik húáfp except the fokt of fab feet, whkh he tbereüMv took care to 
ÍMie iñiíth doabia plaiei of armour. 

f Galalo9 U úaá to have betrayed CbarIema|pAe*8 amiy at Ronccval- 
let f where it was roughly handled by the Moon, in hb retreat from 


S DON X¿U I X O T E. 

feek adventures, and conform in all points 
to the pra&ice of thofe itinerant heroes whofe 
exploits he had read ; redrefling all manner of 
grievances, and courting all occafions of ex« 
po£ng himfelf to fuch dangers, as in the event 
would entide him to everlafting renown. This 
poor lunatic looked upon himfelf already as 
good as feated, by his own iingle valour, on the 
throne of Trebifond ; and intoxicated with 
thefe agreeable vapours of his unaccountable 
folly, refolved to put his de£gn in pra&icc 
forthwith. 

In the firft place he cleaned an old fuit 
of armour, which had belonged to fome of 
his anceftors, and which he found in his gar* 
ret, where it had lain for feveral ^es, quite 
covered over with mouldinefs and ruft ; but 
haidng fcoured and put it to rights, as well 
as he could, he perceived, that inftead of 
^complete helmet, there was only a fimple 
head-piece without a beaver. This unlucky 
defeé^, however, his induftry fupplied by a 
vizor, which he made of pane-board, and 
fixed fo artificially to the morrión, that it 
looked like an enure helmet. True H is, 
that in order to try if it was ftrong enough 
to riik his jaws in, he unlheathed his fword, 
and beftowed upon it two hearty ftrokes, the 
firft of which, in a twinkling, undid his whole 
week's labour. He did not at all approve of 


DON Q^U I X O T E. p 

the facility with which he hewed it in pieces ; 
and therefore, to fecure himfelf from any 
fuch danger for the fUture, went to work 
anew. He faced it with a plate of iron, in 
fuch a manner, as that he remained fatisfied 
of its ftrength, without putting it to a fecond 
trial, and looked upon it as a moft finiflied 
piece of armour. 

He next vifited his horfe, which (though 
he had more corners than a ^ rial, being as 
lean as Gonela's, that '' tantum pellis et oiTa 
fiiit") neverthelefs, in his eye, appeared in* 
finitely preferable to Alexander's Bucephalus, 
or the Cid's Babieca. Four days he confum- 
ed, in inventing a name for this remarkable 
fteed ; fuggefting to himfelf what an impro- 
priety it would be, if a horfe of his quali- 
ties belonging to fuch a renowned knight, 
ihould go without fome founding and ligni* 
ficant appellation: he therefore refolved to 
accommodate him with one that ihould not 
only declare his paft, but alfo his prefent 
capacity; for he thought it but reafonable, 
that fince his mailer had altered his condi- 
tion, he ihould alfo change his horfe's name, 
and inveft him with fome fublime and fono-. 

* This is a joke upon the knighrs fteed, which was ib meagre 
that his bones ftttck out like the comers of a Spanifli rial» a coin oC 
very irreguUv Ihape, noc unlike the figure in geometry called 7V4i« 
fimum* 


le DON Q^U I X O T B, 

rous epithet, fuitable to the new order and 
employment he profefied: accordingly; after 
haying chofen» rejeéled^ amended, tortured, 
and revolved a world of names in his ima« 
gination, he fixed upon Rocinante*, an ap* 
pellation, in his opinion, lofty, fonorous, and 
exprei&ve not only of his former, but like-* 
wife of his prefent fituation, which entitled 
him to the preference over all other horfes 
under the fun. Having thus denominated his 
horfe, fo much to his own fatis&élion, he 
was deiirous of doing himfelf the like juftice, 
and after eight days Ihidy, a¿buUy afliimed the 
title of Don Qgizote ; from whence, as hath 
been obferved, the authors of this authentic 
hiilory concluded, that his former name muft 
have been Q^ixada, and not Qgefada, as others 
are pleafed to affirm. But recoUeé^ing that the 
valiant Amadis, not fatisfied with that fimple 
appellation, added to it that of his country, 
and in order to dignify the place of his na- 
tivity, called himfelf Amadis de Gaul ; he re* 
folved, like a worthy knight, to follow fuch an 
illuftrious example, and aflume the name of 
Don Qiiixote de la Mancha; which, in his 
opinion, fiilly expreiléd his generation, and 
at the fame time refle&d infinite honour OQ 
his fortunate country. 


* R^tinmttt implifs that which wis fbrmeriy an ordinary hode, 
tho* the <m/« feems to have been intended bj the kmght as a badge 
of diitin^iion, by which he was nuiked befixe all other horfes. 


DOVQ^UIXOTX* II 

Accordingly, his armour being fcoured, his 
beaver fitted to his head-piece, his need ac-** 
commodated with a namej and his own dig- 
nified with thefe additions, he refle¿ted that 
nothing elfe wad wanting, but a lady to in-» 
fpire him with love; for a knight-errant 
without a miftrefs would be like a tree def- 
titnte of leaves and fruit, or a body without a 
foul. *^ If, faid he, for my fins, or rather 
for my honour, I ihould engage with fome 
giant, an adventure common in knight-erran* 
try, and overthrow him in the field, by 
cleaving him in twain, or in fliort diianu 
and fubdue him ; will it not be highly pro- 
per, that I ihould have a miftrefs, to whom 
I may fend my conquered foe, who coming 
into the prefence of the charming fair, will 
&11 upon his knees, and fay, in an himible 
and fiibmiifive tone : '* Incomparable princefs, 
I am the giant Carculiambro, lord of the 
ifland Malindrania, who being vanquiihed in 
fingle combat by the invincible knight Don 
Qgixote de la Mancha, am commanded by 
him to prefent myfelf before your beauty, 
that I may be difpofed of according to the 
pleafiire of your highnefs?" How did the 
heart of our worthy knight dance with joy, 
when he uttered this addrefs ; and ftill more 
when he found a lady worthy of his affec- 
tion! This, they fay, was an hale, buxom> 
country wench, called Aldonza Lorenzo» who 


IZ DOS Q^UIXOTE. 

lived iu the neighbourhood, and with whom 
he had formerly been in love ; though by all 
accounts, ihe never knew, nor gave herfclf 
the leaft concern about the matter. Her he 
looked upon as one qualified, in all refpe¿l8, 
to be the queen of his inclinations ; and put- 
ting his invention again to the rack, for a 
name that ihould bear fome affinity with her 
own, and at the fame time become a princefs 
or lady of quality, he determined to call her 
Dulcinea del Tobofo, Ihe being a native of that 
place, a name, in his opinion, mufical, ro- 
mantic, and exprefiive, like the reft which he 
had appropriated to himfelf and his concerns. 


CHAP. IL 


0/ the /age Don ^ixote's firft ¡ally from his own 

habitation. 

These preparations being made, he could 
no longer refift the defire of executing his 
dcfign ; refleéling with impatience on the in- 
jury his delay occafioned in the world, where 
there was abundance of grievances to be re- 
dreflcd, wrongs to be reftified, errors to be 
amended, abufes to be reformed, and doubts 
to be removed; he therefore, without com- 
municating his intention to any body, or 


D o N Q^U I X o f É. 15 

being fcen by a living foul, one morning be- 
fore day, in the fcorching month of July, 
put on his armour, mounted Rozinante, buck- 
led his ill-contrived helmet, braced his tar- 
get, feized his lance, and through the back 
door of his yard, fallied into the fields, in 
a rapture of joy^ occafioned by this eafy and 
fticcefsful beginning of his admirable under- 
taking s but fcarce was he clear of the vil- 
lage, when he Was aflaulted by fuch a ter- 
rible objedion, as had well-nigh induced 
our hero to abandon his enterprize diredly i 
for he recolle¿led that he had never been 
knighted; ' and therefore, according to the 
laws of chivalry, he neither could nor ought 
to enter the lifts with any antagonift of that 
degree; nay, even granting he had received 
that mark of diftin^ion, it was his duty to 
wear white armour, like a new knight, without 
«my device on his ihield, until fuch time as 
his valour ihould entitle him to that honour^. 

Thefe cogitations made him waver a lit- 
tle in his plan ; but his madnefs prevailing 
over every other confideration, fuggefted, that 
he might be dubbed by the firft perfon he 
ihould meet, after the example of many others 
who had fallen upon the fame expedient ; as 

. * According to the ancient rales of chivahy, no man was intltled 
to the rank and degeee of knighthood, until he had been in actual 
batde, and taken a priioner with his own hand. 


I^ D-O N ^JJ I X O T B* 

be had md in thofe mifchicvou» bookff which 
bad difordered his imaginaáon^* With rc- 
fpcél to the white armour, he propofed, with 
the firft opportunity, to fcour hi» own, unul 
it fliould be finrer than ermme : and having 
latisfied his confcience in this manner, he 
purfued his dcfign, without following any 
other road than that which his horfe^ wa» 
pltafed to choofe ; beii^ perluaded, that in lo 
doing» he manifefted the trac fpirit of adven-* 
ture* Thus proceeded our flaming adventurer^ 
while he uttered the foUpwing foliloquy : 

<« Dpubtlefs, in fluure ag^s, when the uue 
hiftory of my &med exploits ihall Qonii^ to 
Ught, the iage Author, wh«ii he reaounts my 
&rü and early (illy, will t^refs himfelf in 
(his manner: <^ Scarce had ruddy Phoebus, 
o'er this wide and fpacious enrth, difplayed 
the golden threads of his refulgent hair ; and 
ic^ce the little painted warbler) with their 
forky tongues, in foft, mellifluous harmony, 
had hiiiled the approach of roiy-wing'd Au* 
rora, who dealing from her jealous huiband's 
couch, through the balconies and aerial gates 
of Mancha's bright horizon, ftood confeiied 
to wondering mortals ; when lo ! the illuf- 
trious knight Don Qgixote de la Mancha, líp- 

^ It wtt ooomioii ibr one kiUglil lo dqb aaotber, Fnmds I. king 
oí Fiance, was knighted, at hU own dcfiiv, by the cbcvalior Biyac^ 
who was looked upon as the flower of chivalry. 


(prlnging from t\^ lazy down, beftrode fam'd 
Rpziaante hh imrivsU'd fteed ! and through 
Momiers ^^iept^ w^lUkixown field (which 
was really the cafe) purfued his way." Thea 
he; added, '^ O fdrtimate age ! O happy times ! 
iu which fliall be made public my incompa» 
Table atchievemeut9, worthy to be engraved 
in brafs» on marble fculptared, and in paint» 
ing ihewn, as great examj^s to futurity ! and 
O ! thou fage enchanter, whofoever thou may'ft 
be, doomed to record the wondrous ftory ! 
forget not, I befeech thee, my trufty Rozi* 
nante» the firm companion of my various fate !** 
Then making a fudden tranfition, he exclaims 
ed as if he had been adlually in love, ^' O 
Dulcinea, Ibvereign princefs of this captive 
heart, what dire affli&ion haft thou made me 
fuffer, thus baniihed from thy preience with 
reproach, and fisttered by thy rigorous com- 
mand, not to appear again before thy beauteous 
face ! Deign, princefs, to remember this thy 
faithful flave, who now endures fuch mifery 
for love of thee !" Theie and other fuch rhap- 
fodies he ilrung tc^ether ; imitating, as muck 
as in him lay, the ñile of thofe ridiculous 
books which he had read ; and jogged along, 
in fpite of the fun which beamed upon him 
fo intenfely hot, that furely his brains, if any 
had remained, would have been fried in his 
ikull: that whole day did he travel, without 
encountering any thing worth mentioning; a 


iS DON" Q^UIXOTK. 

circumftance that grieved him forcly, for he 
had expe&ed to find fome objcft on which he 
could try the prowefs of his valiant arm*. 

Some authors fay his firft adventure was that 
of the pafs of Lapice ; but others affirm, that 

the Wind-mills had the maidenhead of his 

• 

valour : all that I can aver of the matter, la 
confequence of what I found recorded in the 
annals of la Mancha, is, that having travelled 
the whole day, his horfe and he, about twi- 
light, found themfelves exceffively wearied and 
half dead with hunger ; and that lookmg a« 
round for fome caitle or Iheep-cot, in which 
he might allay the cravings of nature, by re* 
pofc and refreftiment, he defcried, not far from 
the road, an inn, which he looked upon as 
the ftar that would guide him to the porch» 
if not the palace, of his redemption : in this 
hope he put fpurs to his horfe, and juft in 
the twilight reached the gate, where, at that 
time, there happened to be two ladies of the 
game, who, being on their journey to Se- 
ville, with the carriers, had chanced to take 
up their night's lodging in this place. 

As our hero's imagination converted whatfo- 
ever he faw, heard» or confidered, into fome- 

' • He might have imitated the ybang knight defcribed in Perce* 
fbreft, who having been dubbed by king Alexander, rode into a wood» 
and attacked the trees with fuch fiiry and addreft , that the king and 
Jiii whole court were convinced of his prowcÍ9 and dexterity. 


thing of wUck he l^d XG^ is^ boQks oiF cU* . 
valry } he 19^ fooiier perceWe^ t]¡^ um» than, 
his fancy repieleated it as b, ilat«ly caftle^ wi^h 
its fpiir towers and piimsM^lf s of fliiaing ülyer, 
a€Cf>BimQdated with a draw-1?ndgf , de^p aio^t, 
and all other coaveqiencies that arc ^efcribed 
as belonging to bi;(ildinga of tb^t kind* 

When \^ w^s within a fníia¡ll d^ftan^e of 
this inn, which to hioi feemed a c^ftle^^ b^ 
drew bridle, and ftopt Rozinante» in hope 
th^t fomq dwarf w^d Afipear ujkh^i (h; l^at- 
tlementS) and fignify hi^ arrival by ^upd i>f 
trumpet : but as. this ci^eniony was no^ per« 
fof n^ed fo fQQp as H<) fL^peéled» wd his fte^d 
f jppreflW gwat ^agerqif f^ tQ be iij tl^e ftaUe» 
he rode i)p to the g^t^, ^d obferving the bat- 
tered wench^ befpre^^^mcintioiQed, miftqok tbe$q 
for (wp b^^ntifi}! a^^idtQ^, or agreeable ladies, 

tojoyi^Mí thf (m^ br^cflFfi at th? cftAfe-gate, M 

th^t iftftant, A fwin^ho^ wl^ ii^ a $eld h^rd 

byi w»^ t^»diiig » drpv^ f>f hpg* (with le^yg 

\ip it fppkfn,) ^h^i^eed to blow his horn^ i^ 
prder to cpUr4l his fcattered ful;(JQ£ls : iipioet 
diately the knight'? expe¿^tion was fi^liilUd, 
and concluding that now the dwarf had given 
the fignal of his approach, he rode towards 
the iim with tfiinite fAtisfa£lion. The ladies 
no foooer perceived fuch a ibrange figure, arm-» 
ed MÓth lan^e and target, than they were feized 
with conftemation, and ran affrighted tp th^ 

Vol. L C 


l8 DON^ÜIXOTÉ. 

gate; but Don Qgixote, gueffing their terror 
by their flight, lifted up his pafte-board vizor, 
and difcovering his meagre lanthom jaws be- 
fmeared with dull, addrefled them thusj with 
gentle voice and courteous demeanour : " Fly 
me not, ladies, nor dread the leaft affront; 
for it belongs not to the order of knighthood, 
which I profefs, to injure any mortal, much 
lefs fuch high-bom damfels as your appear- 
ance declares you to be*" 

The wenches, who ftared át him with all 
their curiofity, in order to difcover his face, 
which the forry beaver concealed, hearing 
themfelves ftiled high-born damsels, an 
epithet fo foreign to their profeflion, could 
contain themfelves no longer, but burft out 
into fuch a fit of laughing, that Don Quixote, 
being oifended, rebuked them in thefe words : 
^ Nothing is more commendable in beautiful 
women than modeíiy ; and nothing more ri-* 
diculous than laughter proceeding from a flight 
caufe : but this I mention not as a reproach, 
by which I may incur your indignation ; on 
the contrary, my intention is only to do. you 
fervice." 

This addrefs, which was wholly unintelli- 
gible to the ladies, together with the ludicrous 
appearance of him who pronounced it, in- 
creafed their mirth, which kindled the 


DON qjJ I X o T E. 19 

knight's anger, and he began to wax wroth, 
when hickily the landlord mterpofed. This 
ian-keeper, who, by reafón of his unwieldy 
belly, was of a pacific difpofition, no fooner 
beheld the prepoilerous figure of our hero, 
equipped with fuch ill-fuited accoutrements as 
his bridle, lance, target and corilet compofed, 
than he was feized with an inclination to join 
the nymphs in their unfeafonable merriment ; 
but being juilly afraid of incenfing the owner 
of fuch unaccoimtable furniture, he refolved 
to behave civilly, and accordingly accoiled 
him in thefe words : " Sir knight, if your 
worihip wants lodging, you may be accom« 
modated in this inn with every thing in great 
abundance, except a bed ; for at prefent we 
have not one unengaged." Don Qgixote per- 
ceiving the humility of the governor of the 
caftle, for fuch he fuppofed the landlord to 
bfe, anfwered, " For me, fignor Cailellano, 
any thing will fuffice; my drefs is armour, 
battles my repofe, &c/' Mine hoft imagining 
that he called him Caftellano^, becaufe he 
looked like a hypocritical rogue ; tho' indeed 
he was an Andalufian, born on the coaft of 
St. Lucar, as great a thief as Cacus, and more 
mifchievous than a collegian or a page, re- 
plied with a fneer, " If that be the cafe, I fup* 
pofe your worihip's couch is no other than 
the flinty rock, and your fleep peipetual wak- 

* Sana df Cáfitiiá flgnifici a crafty knave. 


4a DON" <i^U itOTt. 

ing ; fo that you may aKght with the cottrfbf t- 
able aflbrance, that you will find in this man- 
fion, continual opportunities of defying fíeep, 
liot only for one night, but for a whole year, 
if you pleafc to try the experiment." With 
thcfe Words, he laid hold of the ftirrap of 
Don Qjiizote, who difmounting with infinite 
jiain and difficulty, oecafioned by his having 
travelled all day long without aiiy rcfrefh- 
ihenf , bade the htidlord take fpeeial care of 
hisi fteed ; for, he obferved, a better piece of 
horfe-flefti had never broke bread. 

The inn-keeper, tho' with all his penetration 
he cóbM not difcem any qiialtties m Rozinante 
íkfñéient to juftify one half of what was faid 
in hi^ praife, led him civilly into tfhe ftable, 
and hsiving done the honours of the place, re* 
turned to receive the commands of his other 
gueft, whom he found in the hands of the 
high-born damfels, who haring by this time 
recoáfciled themfelves to htm, were bufied in 
takitirg off his armour : they had already difin« 
cumbered him of his back aQd breaft-plates, 
but could fall upon no method of difengaging 
Ms head and neck from his ill-eontrived heU 
met and gorget, which were faft tied with 
green ribbons^ the gordian knots of which 
no human bands could loofe ¡ and he would, 
by no nfeans, allow them to be cut j fo that 
he remained all night armed from the throat 


D o V ^\í I ^ 9 T S. g,% 

^pwvdq, ^nd uSoiedpd as o4d .and QOfRwl » 
fpef^cle as ever ws»s ícen*. WhUe thefe Jkm4 
h^rridans^ yrhqm he Aippoüpd to l)e the cpn* 
ftable's lady and daughter, were employed in 
this hofpitahle office, he faid t9 them with a 
foiile of iACpqceivable pleafuve, ^' Never was 
knight fo honoured by the fervice of ladies ^s 
Don G(^ixote when he firft uihered himfelf 
into the world ; ladies minifiered unto him^ 
and princeiles took charge of his Rozinante. 
O Rocinante! (for that, fair ladies, is the 
name of piy fteed, and Don Qgizpte d^ la 
Mancha the appellation of his mailer) not 
that I intended to have difcloled myfelf untU 
the deeds atchieved in your fervice ihould have 
made me kngwn; but, in order to accommodate 
my prefent fit^ation to that venerabk romance 
of Sir Lancelot^ I am obliged to difcover my 
name a little prematurely ; ypt the time will 
come, when yojor highneíTes fli^iU cpmpiand^ 
and I will obey, and the y^Iopr of this arm 
teftiiy the deiire I feel of being youril^ve." 

The charmers, whom nature never deiigned 
to espofe to fuch extraordip^ry compliments, 

* This circumibnce of the ladies difarmlng the knigbti ¡a exadly 
confonnable to the pnidice of chhralry i cho* his refiiiii^ to ]>y 
afide his helmet is no^eat arguqicnt of his courtffy or atuchxnent to 
the laws and cuftoms of his prolcffion $ for, amoog hnighu» it was 
kiokcd ifpon as ao indi^w^ble mark of rcipcd» to appear without 
the hehnet in churdi, and in prefence of ladies, or refpedable per- 
Ibnages; and indaed, m thofe iron times, this was coniidarod as a 
neceflary mark and proof of peaceable intention 3 hence we derive the 
cuftom of uncoveriiig the head in ialuutioo. 


22 DON <IJJ iXOrt. 

anfwered not a fyllablc, but aiked if he chofe 
to have any thing for fuppcr ? To which kind 
queilion Don Gt^izote replied, that from the in- 
formation of his bowels, he believed nothing 
eatable could come amifs. As it was unluckily 
a meagre day, the inn afforded no other fare 
than fome bundles of that fi(h which is called 
Abadexo in Caftile, Baccalao in Andalufia, 
Curadillo in fome parts of Spain, and Truch- 
uela in others : fo • that they enquired if hiá 
woríhip could eat Truchuela; for there was no 
other fiüi to be had. " A number of trout- 
lings, anfwered the knight, will pleafe me as 
much as one trout : for, in my opinion, eight 
fingle rial? are equivalent to one piece of 
eight; befides, thofe troutlings maybe as much 
preferable to trouts, as veal is to beef, or lamb 
to mutton* : be that as it will, let the filh be 
immediately produced ; for the toil and bur- 
then of arms are not to be borne without fatif- 
fying the cravings of the ftomach," A table 
being therefore covered at the inn door, for 
the benefit of the cool air, mine hoft brought 
out a cut of Baccalao, wretchedly watered, 
and villainoufly cooked, with a loaf as black 
and greafy as his gueft's own armour : but his 
manner of eating afforded infinite fubjeft for 
mirth : for his head being inclofed in his heU 
met, and the beaver lifted up, his own hands 
could be of no fervice in reaching the food tQ 

* In the prijilnaJi or kid to hcgoat* 


DON Q^V I X O T E. 23 

his mouth ; and therefore, one of the ladies 
undertook to perform that office; but they 
found it impoflible to convey drink in the laoie 
manner; and our hero mull have made an un* 
comfortable meal» if the landlord had not 
bored a cane, and putting one end of it in 
his mouth, poured fome wine into the other ; 
an operation he endured with patience, rather 
than fuffer the ribbons of his helmet to be 
deftroyed. 

While they were thus employed, a fow*geU 
der happened to arrive at the inn, and wind- 
ing three or four blails with his horn, con- 
firmed Don Quixote in his opinion, that he 
lat in fome ftately caftle, entertained with 
mufic during his repaft, which, coniilling of 
delicate trouding and bread of the fineft 
flour, was ferved up, not by a brace of har- 
lots, and a thieviih inn-keeper, but by the fair 
hands of two beautiful ladies, and the courte- 
ous governor of the place* This conceit juf- 
tified his undertaking, and rendered him very 
happy in the fuccefs of his firll fally ; but he 
was mortified, when he recoUe&ed that he 
was not as yet knighted ; becaufe he thought 
he could not lawfully atchieve any adventure 
without having been firfl invefted with t^t 
honourable order. 

' V .^ '* 4V 


5.4 tot)ií ^tJixbtt 


G « A P. HL 

^e íivmiüg i^edient JDün ]^hc9te falh lépon in wikr 

to *r httghtelL 

HARA'Sí5í:fe by this rcíícxion, ht i^sftA^ 
Iris iorrymeal, arid taTlcfd Tor the lañdferrd, 
with whom having ihut himfelf up in the fta- 
ble, he fell upon his knees, and addrefled the 
luppofed conüable in thefe words: ** Never 
win I life fr<!)to this fuppliant pofture, thrice 
"valiant tnigirt, tintil yourcourtefy ihall grant 
l?he boon 1 tnean to beg ; a boon, that wiH 
liot duly Yedoutid to yottr particular praife, 
tmt alfo to iihe ineftimablc benefit of mankind 
in geiielial*.'' The nm-kccper hearing fuch 
'difcoorfe T;)rocced from the mouth of his gaeft, 
Who kneeled before *him, was afftontihed ; and 
Igazed at our hero, without knowing what to 
fay or do ': at lengtih, "however, he intreated 
Irim to rife ; but this requeft was abfolutcly 
Ycfiifed, until he aflured him that his boon 
%ould be granted. ** Signor, feid Don^Qgix- 
ote, I could expcél no lefs from the courtefy 
of your magnificence ; I vnll now therefore 
tell you, that the boon which I have begged, 

* Thjs requeft was i Kttle premature, ¡nafmuch as tíie pra¿Uce of 
chivalry did not authorlTe the fuppliant to aík a boon of his godiatheri 
until he was dubbed» and then he had a right to demand it. 


DON QJJ 1 X O T £. z^ 

and obtained from your generofity, is, that 
you will, to-morrow morning, vouchfafc to 
confer upon me the order of knighthood. 
This night will I watch my arms in the chapel 
of your caftle; that the morning, a.s I faid, 
may fulfil my eager deiire, and enable me, as 
I ought, to traverfe the four corners of the 
world, in fearch of adventures for the relief 
of the diftreíTed, according to the duty and 
office of chivalr}% and of thofe knights-errant, 
in imitation of whom my genius is ftrongly 
addidled to fuch atchievements/' 

The landlord, who, as we have already ob- 
ferved, was a fort of a wag, and had from the 
beginning fufpe¿led that his lodger^s braia. 
was none of the founded, having heard him 
to an end, no longer entertained any doubts 
about the matter ; and, in order to regale him- 
felf and the reft of his guefts with a diih of 
mirth, refolved to humour him in his extrava- 
gance. With this view, he told him, that no- 
thing could be more juft and reafonable than 
his requeft, his conceptions being extremely 
Well fuited, and natural to fuch a peerlefs 
knight as his commanding prefence and gal- 
lant demeanour demonfirated him to be ; that 
he himfelf had, in his youth, exercifed the 
honourable profeflion of errantry, ftroUing 
from place to place in qucft of adventures, in 
the courfe of which he did not fail to vifit the 


ZS DOM Q^ü I X a T X* 

faburbs of Malaga, the ifles of Riaran, the 
booths of Seville, the market-place of Segovia» 
the olive-gardens of Valencia, the little tower 
of Grenada, the' bay of St. Lucar, the fpout 
of* Cordova, the publick-houfes of Toledo, 
and many other places, in which he had ex- 
ercifed the dexterity of his hands as well as 
the lightnefs of his heels, doing infinite mif« 
chief, courting widows without number, de- 
bauching damfels, ruining heirs, and in fliort, 
making himfelf known at the bar of every tri- 
bunal in Spain : that, at length, he had retired 
to the caftle, where he lived on his own means, 
together with thofe of other people ; accom- 
modating knights-errant of every quality and 
degree, folely on account of the affe£lion he 
bore to them, and to the coin which they 
parted with in return for his hofpitality* He 
moreover informed him, that there was no 
chapel in the caftle at prefent, where he could 
-watch his armour, it having been demoliihed 
in order to be rebuilt ; but tliat, in cafe of ne- 
ceflity, as he very well knew, he might choofe 
another place ; that the court-yard of the caf- 
tle would very well ferve the purpofe, where, 
wlienthe knight ftiould have watched all night, 
he, the hoft, would in the morning, with God's 
permifiion, perform all the other ceremonies 

* Litenlly the colt of Cordova» becaufe the water guihes out of a 
fountain, refemblinK a horie's mouth. Thcfe are places of refoit 
frequented by thieYei and flUrpers. 


DON <IV I X O T £• 27 

required, and create him not only a knight^ 
but fuch a one as ihould not have his fellow 
in the whole univerfef 

He then aiked, if he carried any money 
about with him ? and the knight replied, that 
he had not a foufe ; for he had never read in 
the hiftory of knights-errant, that they had 
ever troubled themfelves with any fuch incum- 
brance. The inn-keeper aiuired him that h^ ' 
was very much miftaken ; for, that thoi^h no 
fuch circumftance was to be found in thofe hif< 
tories, the authors having thought it fuperflu- 
ous to mention things that were fo plainly ne- 
ceifary as money and clean ihirts, it was not 
to be fuppofed that their herpes travelled with- 
out fupplies of both : he migh^ therefore, take 
it for granted and uncontrovertible, that all 
thofe knights, whofe a¿lions are fo volumin- 
oufly recorded, never rode without their purfes 
well-lined in cafes of emergency* ; not for- 
getting to carry a fiock of linen, with a fmall 
box of ointment to cure the wounds they » 

might receive in the courie of their adven- 
tures ; for it was not to be imagined, that any 

* Here the landlord wat more felftlh than obfervant of the cuftoms 1 

of chtvalry} for knights were aAaally exempted from all expence 
whatever; except when damages were awarded agalnil them in a 
court of julHce ; and in that cafe they paid lor their rank. This they 
looked upon as a mark of their pre-eminence i in confequence of whic(i« 
at the fiege of Dun U ¡by^ in the year 141 1 9 each knight was ordered 
to cany eight fiUcines, while the iquiit was quit for half the number» 


oéicr ré\di was to be hud mcry tline thej 
ükOQÍd have occafion to £ght, 9Sid l^ woijinded 
in fields and deferts; .unld*8 t^y weivs b^ 
friended by fome fage enchanter, who would 
«flift úiem^ by trftafportiog iJhrough the air, in 
a cloud, fome dan^el, or <lwari^ with a cwdisd 
of füch virtue, that on^e drop ei k would hxr 
ftantly cui^ them of their bniifed aad wounds, 
and make them as ibund as if no fuch íoíD- 
chasioe had happexied : but the knights of for- 
m^r ^ges, who had no fuch affiftaaoe to de* 
f&Sid upon, laid it down as a conllaot :inaxim, 
to order their fqmres to provide ihemfel^e^ 
with mouey and other neceíTarieis, fuch as 
ointment and lint for imii^diate application : 
and, when the knight happened to be without 
a 'ftjuire, which was very feldom the eafe, he 
himfelf kept them in veiy fmall bags, that 
huqg fcarce peroeptible at his horfe's rump, 
as if it were a treafure of muoh greater impor^- 
tance. Though indeed, eiKcept upon fuch an 
occjdion, that of carryiiig bags was not much 
for the .honour of knight-errantry j for which 
j;eafon, >he advifed Don Qgixote, and now that 
«he was on th^ brink of beiqg his godfon, he 
might command him, never thenceforward to 
travel without money, and thofc other indif- 
penfible neceflaries, with which he fliould pro- 
vide himfelf as foon as pofiUble ; and then he 
would, when he leaft thought of it, find his 
account in having made fuch pi:ovüion. 


DOM QJJ I X a T E. aq 

The kixq(ht pnmiítá to follow his aídvice 
with all deference and pun&aaltty ; and there- 
upon, receired orde^ to watah his armoisr m 
a large court on one fide of the inn^ where, 
bavkig gathered the feveral pieces o£l a heap, 
he phced them in a ciilem that belonged ta 
the well; then bracing on his target and grafp- 
ing his lancey be walked with couneous de-^ 
meanoar backward and forward before the cif- 
tern» beginning this knightly exercife as ibon 
as it was dark^. The rcgoiífa landlord bar- 
ing informed every lodger in his houfe of our 
beio^s frenzy, the watching of his armour, 
and his expcAation of being dubbed z knight ; 
they werd aftoüiíhed at fach a peculiar drain 
<rf mádnefty and going out to obferve him at a 
diftance^ beheld him with filent geftore fame* 
times flalking along, fometimes leaning on his 
fpear, with his eyes fixed upon his armour^ for 
a confiderable fpace of time. Though it was 
now night, the moon flione with fiich fplen^ 
doar as might even vie with the fouree irom 
which ihe derived her brightnefs: fo that 
every motion of onr noviciate was diftindly 
perceived by all prefent. At this inftant, a 
carrier, who lodged at the inn, took it in his 

* Tfajs cttftom of watching armcmr in church or chapel, wtt a re» 
fi^ous duty impofbd upon knights, wlio ufed to confumc the whole 
ii|ht Id prayer to fome fiafity whom they chole as tlieir pation ; and 
this exercUe of devotion was performed Oh the night preceding the 
laid iatnt's day. The fame ceremony was obierved by thofe who were 
fsntcneed t« tht cémbat prooi 


30 DOM Q^U I X O T E. 

head to water his mules^ and it being necef- 
iary for this purpofe to clear the ciftern, he 
went to lift oif Don Quixote's armour ; when 
a loud voice accofted him in thefe words: 
** O thou ! whofoever thou art, bold and info- 
lent knight» who prefumeft to touch the ar- 
mour of the moil valiant errant that ever 
girded himfelf with cold iron, confider what 
thou art about to attempt, and touch it not, 
unlefs thou art defirous of yielding thy life as 
the price of thy temerity." 

The carrier, little terrified by thefe threats^ 
which, had he regarded his own carcafe, he 
would not have defpifed, laid hold on the 
facred depofite, and threw it piecemeal into 
the yard with all his might. Don Qgixote no 
fooner beheld this pro&nation, than lifting up 
his eyes to heaven, and addrefling himfelf, in 
all likelihood, to his miftrefs Dulcinea, he 
iaid : '^ Grant me thy afiiftance, dear lady of 
my heart ! in this infult oÓered to thy lowly 
vaiSal, and let me not be deprived of thy fa-* 
Yourable protection in this my firft perilous 
atchievement." Having uttered this, and fome 
other ejaculations, he quitted his target, and 
raifing his lance with both hands, beftowed 
it with fuch good will upon the carrier's 
head, that he fell proftrate on the ground, fo 
eifeéhially mauled, that, had the blow been 
repeated, there would have been no occafion 


fc. 


to call a furgeon» This exploit being per- 
formed, he replaced his armour, and returned 
to his walk, which he continued with his for- 
mer compofure. ^ 

It was not long before another carrier, not 
knowing what had happened to his compa- 
nion, who ftill lay without fenfe or motion, 
arrived, with the fame intention of watering 
his mules, and went (Iraight up to the ciftem, 
in order to remove the armour ; when Don 
Qgizote, without fpeaking a fyllable, or aiking 
leave of any living foul, once more quitted 
his target, and lifting up his lance, made ano- 
ther experiment of its hardnefs upon the pate 
of the fecond carrier, which failed in the ap- 
plication, giving way in four different places* 
At the noife of this encounter, every body in 
the houfe, inn-keeper and all, came running 
to the field, at fight of whom Don Qiiixote, 
(hatching up his target and drawing his fword, 
pronounced aloud, ^* O lady ! of tranfcendent 
beauty, the force and vigour of my enfeebled 
heart ! now, if ever, is the time for thee to 
turn thy princely eyes on this thy caitiff 
knight, who is on the eve of fo mighty an 
adventure." So faying, he feemed to have 
acquired fuch courage, that had he been af- 
faulted by all the carriers in the univerle, he 
would not have retreated one ftep. 


Tbe €oa|p«i>ÍD2^ of the wouaded, feems 

liQW their fmnd& had b^epüi htiidlecl» beg«ii« 

at a diftanc€, to difeharge a fiiower of none» 

upon the knight, who, as well as he could, 

Iheltered himfelf under his ihield, not dar*» 

is^ to kav« the ciftern, left ibine mifchance 

ibould hajqpen to his aomufuf • The inn-keep^ 

called alcHiid, entreatÍAg them to leave off, for, 

ss he had told them befoxe, the man being 

mad, would be aeqmtted on aecount of his 

lunacy, even though he ihould pux every Ibi^l 

of them to death. At the Cune time Don 

Oigpcote, ÍA a voice lander ftill» u}d»raidedi 

them afi 4^wardly traitws^ and qaU^d th9 con-* 

ftable of the oaAle a worthlefs and bai^botrn 

Igoigh^ &r allpwing his gueii ^ be trei^ 

in fii«h an inhoipitabk mamuer^ fwearing, 

that if he had received the: honour of knighfr* 

hood, he would make him itpeot hig difeoui« 

teous behaviour. ^^ But as for you, faid he, 

ye viky ilUmannered Icum, ye are beneath 

joay notice* Difeharge, approach, come ibr* 

ward, and annoy me as much aa you can, yon 

ihall fooA fee what reward you will receive for 

your infolent extravagance." Thefe words» 

delivered in a bold and refolute tone, firuck 

terror into the hearts of the affailanu, who, 

partly for this menace, and partly on account 

of the landlord's periuaiion, gave over their 

attack; while he, on his fide, allowed the 


DON qjj I X o T B. 33 

wounded to retire, and returned to his watch» 
with his former eafe and tranquillity. 

Thefe pranks of the knight were not at all 
to the liking, of the landlord, who refolved 
to abridge the ceremony, and beílow this . un« 
lucky order of knightjiood immediately, be- 
fore any other mifchief ihould happen. Ap- 
proachiog him therefore, he difclaimed the 
infolence with which his gueft had been treat- 
ed by thofe fancy plebeians, without his know* 
ledge or confent ; and obferved that they bad 
been juftly chafti&d for their impudence : that, 
as he had told him before, there was no cha- 
pel in the cattle, nor indeed, for what was to 
be done, was it at all neceflary ; nothing of 
the ceremony now remaining unperformed, 
except the cuff on the neck, and the thwack 
on the ihoulders, as they are prefcribed in the. 
ceremonial of the order ; and that this part 
might be executed in (he middle of a field : 
he aiTured him alfo, that he had pun¿hially 
complied with every thing that regarded the 
watching of his armour, which might have 
been finiihed in two hours, tho' he had al- 
ready remained double the time on that duty. 
Don Quixote believing every fy liable that he 
fpoke,. laid, he was ready to obey him in all 
things, and befought him to conclude the mat- 
ter as foon as pofiible : for, in cafe he ihould be 
attacked again, after having been knighted, he 

Vol. I. D 


54 D a » o^ü I X a t É. 

would iK>t leave «t foul alit^e in tlie cáfik, except 
thofe whom be ihould fpare át bis requéíV. 

The conftable, alarmed at this d<cíamtk>D, 
immediately brought out hid day-book, in 
which he kept an afc€t>üt^t of the barkfy ami 
ftraw that waa expended for tlfe ufe of the 
carriers, and attended by a boy whh a can- 
dle's end in bis hand, together with the twd 
ladiea before mentioned, came to the place 
where Don G^ixote ftpod : then ordering him 
to kneel before him, mumbled in hi6 manual, 
as if he had been putting up iome very de- 
vout petition ; in the midil of which he lifted 
up bis hand, and gave him an hearty thump 
on the neck } then with the flat of his own 
(word, 1>e(lowed an handfome application a^ 
6rofs his ihoulders, muttering all the time be- 
tween bis teeth, as if he had been employed 
in fome fervent ejaculation^. This article 
being fulfilled, he commanded one of the la^ 
dies to gird on bis fword, an office (he per^ 
formed with great dexterity and difcretion, of 
which there was no fmall need to reftrain her 
bmgbter at each particular of this ftrange ce*> 
jemony : but the efíéüs they had already fáeú 
of the knight's difpofition, kept that mirth 
effedually under the rein. 

« Tfte Oa^on die flioi4der» and tho box oft the «ar beiag beáWwed, 
the godfatbtr pronounced, << In the name of Cod, St. Michael^ and 
Sr-Ceorge, Idv/b thOiM^ts be worthy, boldf mnd^d.** 


D O N' QJ} I X T E* 3^ 

Wiien this good lady had girded ou hid 
fwórd, ** Heaven prcferve your worfliip, ad« 
ventnxtms knight ! faid flie^ and make you for- 
tunate in all your encounters." Don Q^bcote 
then begged to know her name, that he m^ht 
thenceforward underftand to whom he was 
obliged for the favour he had received at hat 
hands, and to whom he might afcnbefonio 
part of the honour he ftiould acqiare bj| die 
valour of his invincible arm. She anfwcxed 
with great humility, that her name was To- 
bofa, daughter of an honeft butcher in Tole- 
do, who lived in one of the ftalls of Sancho 
Minaya : that ihe ihould always be at his 
fervice, and acknowledge him for her lord 
and mailer. The knight profefled hunfelf ex- 
tremely obfiged to her foe het love : and beg-* 
ged ihe would, for the fumre, dignify her 
name by calling herfelf Donna Tobofa. Th^ 
lequeft ihe pi^teñfed faithildly to comply with} 
and A dialoj^oe of the ütot kibd pafied he* 
tween him and the other l^dy wha buckled 
OD his fpni : when he aikcd her name, ihe 
told hiBi it was MoUinera ; and that her &- 
ther was an hofnourabk miller of Anteqitera. 
Don Qgixote entreated her alio» to ennoble 
her name with the fame tide of Donna, loaded 
her with thanks, and made her a tender of 
his fervice. Thefe hitherto unfeen ceremonies 
being difpatcbed, as it were with poil haile, 
Don Qgixote, impatient to fee himielf on 


36 DOM QJJIXOTZ^ 

horfeback/ in queft of adventares» faddled zbd 
mounted Rozinante forthwith, and embracing 
his hoft, uttered fuch a ftrange rhapfody of 
thanks for his having dubbed him knight^ 
that it is impoffible to rehearfe the compli- 
ment. The landlord, in order to get rid of 
him the fooner> anfwered in terms uo^lefs 
eloquent, though fomething more laconic, and 
let him march off in happy hour, without de-^ 
manding one farthing for his lodging. 


CHAR IV. 
Of what befe/ our knighfy when be faUiidfrom the inn* 

It was early in the morning when Don Qgiz- 
ote fallied from the inn, fo well fatisfied, fo 
fprightly, and fo glad to fee himfelf invefted 
with the order of knighthood, that the very 
girths of his horfe vibrated with jdy: butt, 
remembering his landlord's advice, with re<- 
gard to the neceilaries he ought 10 carry a- 
long with him, in particular the money and 
clean ihirts, he refolved to return to hi» own 
houfe, and furnifti himfelf not only with tfaefe, 
but alfo with a fquire. For this ofiEuré he 
fixed, in his own mind, upon a poor plough* 
man who lived in his neighbourhood, main* 


DON <UÜ I X O T I. 37 

I 

ttming a family of children by his labour ; 
a perfon in all refpeds qualified for the low- 
er fervices of ehivalry. With this view he 
fteered his courfe homeward ; and Rozinante» 
as if he had guefied the knight's intention, 
began to move with fuch alacrity and nimble- 
nefs, that his hoofs fcarce feesied to touch the 
ground. 

He had not travelled far, when from the 
thickeft part of a wood that grew on his right 
hand, his ear was faluted with Ihrill repeated 
cries, which feemed to iflue from the mouth tyf 
fome creamre in grievous diftrefs. No fooner 
did our hero hear this lamentation, than he 
exclaimed, "Heaven be praifed for the favour 
with which it now indulges me, in giving me 
an opportunity fo foon of fulfilling the duties 
of my profeflion, and reaping the fruit of my 
laudable intention ! Thefe cries doubtlefs pro- 
ceed from fome miferable male, or female, who 
(lands in need of my immediate aid and pro- 
te£lion*'' Then turning Rozinante, he rode 
towards the place whence the complaint feem- 
ed to come, and having entered the wood a 
few paces, he found a mare tied to one oak, 
and a lad about fifteen, naked from the waift 
upwards, made fail to another. This was he 
who fcreamed fo piteouflj, and indeed not 
without reafon; for a ilurdy peafant was em- 
ployed in making applications to his carcafe 


¿8 P9V<UifXf)T%. 

with a legthmx ftrap, accompaoying each 
ftripe lyith a WQr<} of reproof and a4vic^ 
Above all things, laying upon him ftrppg mr 
jundioas, to ufe hÍ3 tooguie lefs^, and his eye? 
Biore: the young &lk>w replieda wkh great 
fervicacy, ^' I will never do fo again» naafier^ 
fp help me God ! I won't do f» any osore^ 
but for the future, take more care, and ufip 
more difpatch.'' 

DoA Q^iixoie ob&rving what pailed, pro* 
Bounced aloud with great indignation : ^ Dif» 
icpurtpQus knight, it ill becomes the^ to at>- 
tac^k one who canxu>t defend himfelf : n^ounc 
thy ütpd, couch thy lance, (for there was acr 
inally a lance leaning againil the tree to which 
the inare was tied) and I will make thée fen-^ 
üble of the cowardice of the a¿don in whi<:h 
thpu art now engaged/' The peafant feeing 
this ftrange figure, buckled in arpiour, and 
brandiihing a latee over his head, was mor- 
tally afraid, and with great humility replied : 
'^ Sir knight, this lad whom I am chafiifing, 
is my own fervant, hired to keep a flock of 
iheep, which feed in thefe fields; but he is 
fo negligent, that every day I lofc one of the 
number, and becaufe I punilh him for his 
careleiTneis, or knavery^ he lays that I ícouiíjge 
him out of avarice, rather than pay him his 
w^es; though, upon my confcience, and as 
I fliall anfwer to God, he tells a lie," " How ! 


a lie, beior^iDA» h^fcwúS, cmé DanG^iac- 
0ít; hj tbt üm that (^olig^ens thi& glob^í» J[ 
liare a good mind to thruft thU lasure through 
thy body! pay the youi^ mm Ki^ wagca ilrai^ 
withotu n^ly, or, by the power that ruks us, 
I will finifli and annihilate thpe in an infiant! 
imbijid him therefore without hefitation/' 


The countryman hung hb head, and with» 
Wit fpeaking a fyllable, untied hia man ; whi^ 
beings alked by the kn^ht, how much mo^ey 
was due to him, laid hi» mailer owed him for 
three quarters at the rate of &x riala a m^nth. 
Hia delivewr having 4^ it up, found that 
the whole amounted io ¿xty^hree ríala, and 
ordered the peafant t» diiburfe them inilant- 
ly, unkfa he had a mnd tp periih under his 
handa. The affrighted firmer affirmed, by 
the griesroua fituati^n in whidi he was, and 
the oath h^ had ^Uieady takeü, (though, by 
the bye, he had taken no oath at all,) thait 
the fua did ^ot amogot to fonuch; for that 
he waa to difcount and allow for three pair 
c£ £hoea he iiad received^ and a rial for two 
Ueedings while he was ikk* '' Granting that 
to be true, r(^lied Don Ql^xote^ the flioes and 
the bleeding ihall ftand for the firipes you 
ha^e gi¥e» him without caufo ; for, if he has 
worn out the leather of the ihoes that you paid 
for, you have made at free with the leather pf 
his careafo» and if the barber let out his 


40 OOK<t^ÜIXOT& 

blood D^hen he was fick, you have blooded 
him when he was well ; he therefore^ ftands 
acquitted of thcfe debts." ^ The misfortune. 
Sir knight, faid the peafant, is this ; I have 
not coin about me; but if Andrew will go 
home to my houfe, I will pay him honeftly 
in ready money.** " Go with you, cried the 
lad, the devil fetch me if I do ! no, no, maf- 
ter, I muft not think of that; were I to go 
home with him alone, he would flay me like 
another St. Bartholomew/' " He won't do fo^ 
replied the knight, but ihew more r^ard 4:o 
my commands ; and if he will fwear to me by 
the laws of that order of knighthood which 
he has^ received, that he will pay you your 
wages, I will fet him free, and warrant the 
payment.** " Lord, how your worihip talks ! 
faid the boy ; this maiter of mine is no gen* 
tlemán, nor has he received any order of 
knighthood, but is known by the name of 
rich John Haldudo, and lives in the neigh- 
bourhood of Qgintanar.** •* No matter, repli • 
ed Don Qjiixote, there may be knights among 
the Haldudos, efpecially as every one is the 
fon of his own works.** ** True, faid An- 
drew ; but what works is my mafter the fon 
of, fince he refiifes to pay me for my labour, 
and the fweat of my brows ?*' ** I don*t re- 
fufe, honeft Andrew, anfwered the peafant; 
thou wilt dp me a pleafure in going home with 
me; and I fwear by all the honours of knight* 


DON <^U I X O T 9» ^l 

bood in the iintverfe, that I will pay thee %hy 
wages, as I fai4 befi^re, in ready money; 
nay, you ihall have it perfumed into the bar- 
gain/' " Thank you for your perfumes, laid 
the knight, pay him in lawful coin, and I 
fhall be fatisfied ; and be fure you fulfil the 
oath you have uken ; for by the fame obliga- 
tion, I fwear, that in cafe you fail, I will re- 
turn to chaitife you, and ferret you out, even 
though you fhould be more concealed than a 
lizaid. If you would underffamd who it is 
that lays fuch commands upon you, that you 
may fiad yourfelf under a neceíBty of per- 
forming them with reverence and awe, know, 
that I am the valiant Don Qgixote de la Man- 
cha, the redreifer of wrongs, imd fcourge of 
. injuftice : fo farewell, remember not to belie 
your promife and oath, on pain of the penalty 
prcfcribcd." With thefc words, he clapped 
fpurs to Rozinante, and was out of fight in a 
' pioment. 

The countryman followed him with his eyes, 
till he faw him quite clear of the wood ; then 
turning to Andrew, faid, '^CSome hither, child, 
I muft pay what I owe you, according to the 
orders of that redrcffer of wrongs." ** And 
adad, faid Andrew, you had bcft not negle¿l 
the orders of that worthy knight, who (blef- 
fings on his heart !) is ecpially valiant and up- 
right; for oddsbobs^ if you do not pay me, 


4^ Pi>V QJJ IXOTU. 

he will refioru» and be as good u his w^d.^ 
^'^ la &ith I ass of tho iaiM opioion, replied the 
peafant ; but, out of jaay . infioilie regard for yoit, 
I am dcfiroua of iociMiing the debt, that the 
payfQeut loay be doubled."^ So faying, belaid 
hold of his arm* and tying him again to the 
tree, flogged him fi) ieverely, that he bad like 
to have died on the fpot. ^ Now ia the time, 
Mr. Anditw, laid the executioner, to call vapon 
the redrelTer of grievances, who will ii&d it 
difficult to redxttft this, which, by the bye, I 
am loth to finifli» beisg very much inclined 
lo juftify your fear of being flayed alive.'* At 
length, however, he unbound, and left him at 
liberty to find out his judge, who was to exe- 
cute the fentence he had pronounced. An- 
drew iheaked oS, not extremely weU iatisBed ; 
on the contrary, vowing to go in queft of the 
valiant Pon Qtüxote de la Mancha, and in- 
form him pun&ially ^ every thing thstt had 
happened, an account which would ^certainly 
induce him to pay the countryman feven-fold* 

In fpite of this confolatioo, howevor» he de- 
parted blubbexing with pain, while his mailer 
remained weeping vtpith laughter. And thus 
was the grievance mdrefied by the vaHaot Don 
O^ote, who, tratiíported vrith the fucceft, 
and the happy and iublime heginmng which 
he imagisjod his chii&alry had been JGwoui^d 
with, jogged on towards his own village^ with 


D o H q^u I X o T It 43 

felf-fatis£iAum, pmiunmcing with a 
low voice ; " O Dulcánca del Tobofo, fkireft 
annmg the &xr I well may'ft thou be counted 
the moft fbrtimate beauty upoa earth, feeing it 
is thy £ite to keep in iiib)e¿lion, and wholly 
refigned to thy will and pleafure, fiich a dar* 
ing and renowned knight as Don <c)y)xote dc 
la Mancha now is, and always will remain ! 
he who, as all the world knows^ but ydOter^ 
day received the honour of knighthood, and 
has this day redrefled the greateft wrong and 
grievance that ever injuftice hatched and cruel* 
ty committed! To-day he wrefted the laih 
from the hand of the mercUefs enemy, who 
fo unjuñly fcotuged the body of that tender 
infant !" Having uttered this exclamation, he 
¿ound faimfelf in a road that divided into Sour 
paths, and ftraight his imagination foggefted 
thofe crofs ways that were wont to perplex 
knights-errant in their choice ; in imitation of 
whom, he paufed a little, and after mamre de^ 
liberation, threw the reins on Rozinante^s 
neck, leaving the decifion to him, who follow- 
ing his firft intention, took the path that led 
dire¿lly to his own ñable, 

Having travelled about two miles farther, 
Don Qg^ixote defcried a number of people, 
who, as was afterwards known, were fix mer« 
chants of Toledo going to buy filks at Mur- 
cia, and who travelled with umbrellas, atp 


^ DOH Q^U IX O T B. 

tended by four fervants on horfeback, and 
three mule-drivers on foot. Don* Qjiixote no 
fooner perceived them at a diftance, than he 
imagined them to be fome new adventure ; and, 
in order to imitate, as much as in him lay, 
thofe fcenes he had read in his books of chi- 
valry, he thought this was an occaiion exprefs- 
1y ordained for him to execute his purpofed at* 
chievement 

^ He therefore, with gallant and refolute de- 
portment, feated himfelf firmly in his ftirrups, 
grafped his lance, braced on his target, and 
pofting himfelf in the middle of the road, wait- 
ed the arrival of thofe knights-errant, for fuch 
he judged them to be. When they were near 
enough to hear him, he pronounced, in a loud 
and arrogant tone ; '^ Let the whole uuiverfe 
ceafe to move, if the whole univerfe refufes to 
confefs, that there is not in the whole uni- 
verfe a more beautiful damfel than the peerlefs 
Pulcinea del Tobofo, the high and mighty em- 
prefs of La Mancha/' 

The merchants hearing this declaration, and 
feeing the ñrange figure from whence it pro- 
ceeded, were alarmed at both, and halting im- 
mediately, at a diftance reconnoitred the mad- 
nefs of the author. Curious, however, to know 
the meaning of that confeifion which he ex- 
a£ted, one of them, who was a fort of a wag, 


DON <UJ I X O T L 45 

though át the lame time a man of prudence 
and difcretion, accofted him thua : ^* Sir knight, 
as we have not the honour to know who this 
worthy lady is, be ü good as to produce her ; 
and if we find her fo beautiful as you pro- 
claim her to be, we will gladly, and without 
any fort of reward, confefs the tiuth, accord* 
ing to your defire." " If I produce her, re- 
plied E>Qn Quixote, what is the mighty merit 
of your confeiling fuch a notorious truth } The 
importance of my demand conitfts in your be-^ 
lieving, acknowledging, afiinmng upon oath, 
and defending her beauty before you have íéen 
it. And this ye ihall do, ye infolent and un- 
civil race, or engage with me in battle forth- 
with. . Come on then, one by one, according 
to the laws of chivalry, or all together, as the 
treacherous cuflom is amox^ fuch wretches as 
you; here I expeSt you with iiill hope and 
confidence in the juftice of my caufe." ^' Sir 
knight, replied the merchant, I humbly heg, 
in the name of all thefe princes here prefeni^ 
that your woríhip will not oblige us to burden 
our coniciences, by giving teftimony to á thing 
that we have> neither leen nor heard, efpecial- 
ly as it. tends to the prejudice of the queens 
and princeiles of Alcarria and £ftremadura : 
but, if your woríhip will be pleafed ' to fliew 
us any fort of pi£ture of this lady, though it 
\)e no bigger than a grain of wheat, fo as we 
can judge the clue by the thready we will be 


4$ D a If (i,u I X a T c. 

úttbfibd w\úí this fampk, and you ihall be 
obeyed to yoor heart's content: for I believe 
we aie alrady fe pcvfofíéíled in. her farour, 
that tfaongh the poiftadft ikoold reprefent her 
iqumting widi dne eye, and diitilling venni- 
lion and brimftone with the othcr^ we wilU 
notvitbñanding, in eampliánce to yotnr woar« 
ihipy íáy vrhac yen defire in her • favour."-— 
^ Her eyesy mikmods wretch! replied Don 
Qgixc^e in a nge, diilil not iuch porodufkionsy 
but teem with amber and rich perfiñne : nñcher 
is tbere any defeft in her fight, or in her body, 
which ist more .ftraigbt than a Guadarrama- 
fpindle : but you ihall faffisr for the licentious 
blafphemy you have uttered againft the nnpa-^ 
ndkled beauty of my fbvereign máftreft." So 
¿tying he couched iUB lance,, saad attadied the 
^kefinan with fuch r^^e and ¿¡try, that had 
notRozhoailte luckily ñumbled and .fallen in 
the ñiidft of his career, the nlerchaot Ivould 
haré had no cauie to rejoice ia his raifaüefs ^ 
but Ivhen the. unhappy fteed &11 to the groand, 
the áátv was throlva ovct his head, and pitch-* 
ed at a good dtíiance upon the field, wheie he 
fbund all his endea? ours to get up sg^m ineii 
fefkual^ fo much was he encunlbeved with, hid 
lance, target, helmet and fpnrs, together i4rkb 
the Weight of his aücient armour. 

While be thus ftruggled, but in vain, to rife, 
he bellowed forth, ^ Fly not^ ye cowardly 


DO Hi ^V INÚTIL 47 

crew, tarry á littk, ye bafe eúúB& : not tbro* 
any fault of my own, but of my horie, ám I 
thua difcomfited." Chie of Mie fiauk-dtívera, 
who feems not to have been of a very milky 
difpofitioa, tould not bear this arrogant lan« 
gnage of the poor oVenhrown knight, withoat 
making a reply upon his ribs. Going up ta 
him^ therefore, he laid hold on his lance, and 
breaking it, began to threfti him fo feverely, 
that, in fpite of the refinance of his armour, 
he was almoft beaten into mummy ; and though 
the fellow's mailer called to him to forbear, he 
was fo incenfed, that he could not leave off the 
gamé^ until he had exhmti^ed the whole of hiá 
choler. Gathering the other pieces of the 
Ismce, he reduced them all to íhivcrs, one aftef 
anñthei', on the miferaUe circáfe of the Don^ 
whoi notwithftanding this ftdrm of blows 
which defcended on him, never clofed his 
mouth, but continued threatening heaven and 
earth, and thofe banditti, for fiich he took the 
merchants to be. 

* 

The driver was tired at length of his éxeí- 
cife, and bis matters puííüed their jouy'ney,' 
Carrying with them fufficient food lor conver- 
fation about this poor battered kntght, who no 
fooner found himfelf alone, than he made ano- 
ther eábrt to rife : but if he fbuúd this defign^ 
impraélicable when he was fefe and fouird, 
much left cocAd he accoihplifh it now that he 


^8 D- o M <IJJ I X O T B« 

ivae difablcd, and as it were wrought into a 
pafte. He did not, hovvever, look upon him* 
(elf a^ unhappy, i^aufe this misfortune was, 
in his opinion, peculiar to knighis*errant ; 
and that he vas not able to rife on account of 
the innumerable bruifes he had received, he 
afcribed entirely to the £iult of his horfe* 


CHAP. V. 


Jk wbkb tbijl^ry of our Anight' s msfirtuni is cmtintui 

Finding it therefore impoilible to move, 
he was fain to have recourfe to his ufual reme- 
dy, which was, to amufe his imagination with 
fome pailages of the books he had read ; and 
his madnefs immediately recalled to his me- 
mory that of Valdovinos and the marquis of 
Mantua, when Carloto left him woumded on 
the mountain: a piece of hiftory that every 
boy knows, that every young man is aopiaint- 
ed with, and which is celebrated, nay more, 
believed by old age itfelf, though it be as apo- 
cryphal as the miracles of Mahomet; never- 
thelefs, it occurred to him, as an occafion ez- 
prefsly adapted to his prefent iituation. There- 
fore, with marks of extreme afflidion, he be- 
gan to roll about upon the ground, and with 


DON qjj I X o T B. 49 

a languid voice, exclaim, in the words of the 
wounded knight of the wood. 

Where art thou, lady of my heart, 

Regrardlefs of my mifery ? 
Thou little know'ft thy lover's fmart. 

Or faithlefs art, and falfe, pardie ! 

In tliis manner he went on repeating thc'ro- 
mance until he came to thefe lines : 

O nohle prince of Mantuan plains^ 
My carnal kinfman, and my lord ! 

Before he could repeat the whole couplet, a 
peafant who was a neighbour of his own, and 
lived in the fame village, chanced to paf8,-in 
his way from the mill where he had .been 
with a load of wheat. This honeft country- 
man feeing a man lying ftretched upon the 
ground, came up, and aflced him who he was, 
and the reafon of his lamenting fo piteoufly ? 
Don Qgixote doubtlefs believed that this was 
his uncle the marquis of Mantua, and made 
no other reply but the continuation of his ro- 
manee, in which he gave an account of his 
own misfortune, occafioned by the amour be- 
twixt his wife and the emperor^s fon, exa¿lly 
as it is related in the book. The peafant, 
aftoniihed at fuch a rhapfody, took off his 
beaver, which had been beaten to pieces by 
the mule-driver, and wiping his face, which 

Vol. L E 


Was fcó^éréd with' duft, immedi^tdy íc^^ thé 
unfortunate knight. *^ Signer Q^ixada, fard 
he, (for fo he was called before he had loft 
his fenfcs> and was transformed from a fober 
country-gentleman into a knight-errant) who 
has leñ your worihip in fuch a woeful condi- 
tion ?" But he, without minding the queftion 
that was put to him, proceeded as before with 
his romance ; which the honeft man perceiv- 
ing, went to work, and took off his back and 
breaft plates, to fee if he had received any 
wound, but he could perceive neither blood 
nor fear upon his body. He then raifed him 
fipdn his legs, and With infinite difficulty 
modntéd him upoii his owtx beaft, which ap- 
péaiitd to him a Met carriage thafi the knight's 

Having gathered up hi^ annóur, tVeü to thé 
ffdinc^rs úf the laüt^e, he tied them upen Ro- 
2iname, and ukl&g hbld of the reins, toge- 
ther with tb<^ halter df his own a&, joggtd Ob 
tdWátds the villag-e^ not a little toñceíB^ tú 
hnr the mad ettcUmation» of Don G^i^té, 
who did ntíí find himfelf extremely eafy ; ft» 
he Was fo battered and bruifed) that he touKi 
not fit upright upon thb beaft, but fródi 
time €b tiftie vem^d iiich difmál groans, 
as obliged the peafant to aik agaift What was 
the tnateet with kiot ? Indeed one wcMild hávt 
thought, that the devil had tififtdl hi» itienM)- 


DOlí Q^Üli Ó t É. 51 

íy iñ ftipplying him ^ith tales accotamodated 
to the cireumf^ces of his own fituAtion ; fot 
tít that inftátit, tor^etting Valdovino^, he re- 
^ collefted the ftoiy of Abindar-raefe, the Moor, 
whbm Rodrigo at Narvaez, governor of An- 
teqaera, took piifoner, and carried into caj)ti- 
vity to the place of his refidencé: fo thait 
when thfe countrymáá Srepeated his defirfe ot 
knowing wherfe he had bfeen, and what was 
the matter with him, he anfwered to the púí- 
pofe ; náy, indeed in tlic very Words ufed by 
the captive Abihdar-Yaez to the faid Rodrigo 
de Nalváez^ as lúay be feen in the Diana oí^ 
George Monte-major, which he had read; 
and fo well adapted for his purpofe, that the 
countryman hearing fuch a compofition of fol- 
ly, wiihed them both at the devil. 

It Was thcti ht dlicoVfettd that his neighbour 
Was i»ad; and therefore madb all the hafte 
he eould toth'é Village, that he might be the 
fooner thl of hi^ unealineík at the unaccount- 
able harangue c/( Don Qjiixote, who had no 
íboñél' fiñiflied this exclamation, than he ^c- 
cofted his cónduftór in thefe words : ** Know 
theti, valiant Don Rodrigo de Narvaez, that 
thi^s fame beautiful Xarila, whom I have men- 
tioned, is no'óthét than the fair Dulcinea del 
Tobofo, forlorn I have performed, under- 
take, aiid will atchieve the moft renowned ex- 
ploits that ever wercb are» or will be feea oa 


52 DON QJJ I X O T E. 

earth." To this addrefs the countryman re- 
plied with great fimplicity : " How your wor- 
ihip talks ! as I am a finner, I am neither Don 
Rodrigo de Narvaez^ nor the Marquis of Man- 
tua, but Pedro Alonzo, your neighbour : nor 
is your worihip either Valdovinos, or Abin- 
dar-raez, . but the worthy gentleman, iignor 
Quizada.^' " I know very well who I am, re- 
plied Don Qgixote ; and that it is poflible for 
me to be not only thofe whom I have men- 
tioned, but alfo the whole twelve peers of 
France, and even the nine worthies, feeing 
that my atchievem'ents will excel, not only 
thofe of each of them üngly, but even the ex-» 
ploits of them all joined together.'* 

Difcourfing in this manner, they arrived at 
the village about twilight ; but the peafant fiaid 
till it was quite dark, that the poor rib-roafted 
knight might not be feen in fuch a woeful 
condition. Then he conduced Don Qgiscote 
to his own houfe, which was all in confuiion* 
When he arrived, the curate, and the barber 
of the village, two of his b^ friends and 
"^^ompanioDs, were prefent, and his houfekeep- 
er was juft fayii^, with a woeful countenance» 
" Mr. licentiate Pero Perez, (that was the cu- 
rate's name,) fome misfortune muil certainly 
have happened to my mailer * ; for fix days^ 

* The author icems to hare committed a fmall overfight in thU para* 
Sraph I for the kxiight had not been gone above two days and one night, 
whifih he ^t in watching hit armour. 


DOM Q^U I X O T B. ♦ 53 

both he and his horfe, together with the tar- 
get, lance, and armour have been mifiing ; as 
I am a tinner, it is juft come into my head^ 
and it is certainly as true as that every one is 
bom to die, thofe helliih books of knight-er- 
rantry, which he ufed to read with fo much plea- 
lure, have turned his brain ; for now I remem- 
ber to have heard him fay to himfelf more^ 
than once, that he longed to be a knight-er- 
rant, and fti^U about in queft of adventures. 
May the devil and Barrabas lay hold of fuch 
legends, which have perverted one of the 
foundeft underftandings in all La Mancha !'^ 

To this remark the niece aflented, faying, 
** Moreover, you muft know, Mr. Nicolas, 
(this was the name of the barber,) my uncle 
would frequently, after having been reading 
in thefe prophane books of mifadventures, for 
two whole days and nights together, ilart up, 
throw the book upon the ground, and drawing 
his fword, fence with the walls, till he was 
quite &tigued, then affirm, that he had killed 
four giants as big as fteeples, and fwear that 
the fweat of his brows, occafioned by this vio- 
lent exercife, was the blood of the wounds he 
had received in battle : then he would drink 
OÍF a large pitcher of cold watery and remain 
quiet and reíreíhed, faying, that the water was 
a moft precious beverage, with which he was 
iupplied by the fage Ifquife, a mighty enchant-* 


$4 ooif<v;ixoT?» 

cr aqd fifiwd of bis : but I ttjce the WI10I4 
blame to myiielf, for not b^viog mfoOTi(?d yow 
worihip of my dcv Ufliclc*« cxtrav^ganj^ic», 
that fome remedy might have b^n applied» 
before they had prqceedod to fuch ex^efs) 
and that you mi^hc have buxut all thole ex^ 
communicated booka, which dcfervc the fire 311 
much as if they were crammed with berefy.*' 

'' I am of the fame opinión^ faid the curate, 
spid afíiire you, before another ^y ihall pafssi 
they ihall undergo a fevere trial» ai^d be con-i 
drained to the flame?» that they may not in*» 
duce other readers to follow the fame path» 
which I am afraid my good friead has titkca,*' 
Every fylbble of this convejlatioi) was ovtr>t 
beard by Don Qj^ixote a^d his guide, which 
laft had now no longer any doubt about hia 
neighbour's infirmity, and therefore proapunc-t 
ed» with a loud voice» " Open your ¿utes to the 
valiant Valdovinos, and the great marquis of 
Mantua, who comes home wounded from thcs 
field» together with the Moor Abind^f-raez, 
who drags in captivity the valiant Rodrigo do 
Narvaez, governor of Antequera.'' 

Alarmed at thefe words, they came all to 
the door, and perceiving who it was, the bar-i 
ber and curate went to receive their friend, 
and the women ran to embrace their mafter 
and kinfman, who, though h^ had not gs yet 


aliglu^> for incikod it w^ 9ot in hk pom^r, 
piocliimed «kmd» ^^ Let thi^ wl^k w^W ^Jí:e 

notice, that the wounds I have received were 
owing to the fault of my harfe aloM ; carry 
me therefofc to bed> and fend, if pqfliÚe, ibr 
the iage * Urganda» to fearch amd car^ them-*' 
^ See now, in an evil Wwr, cried the houfe^ 
keeper, h^u»ing thefe wordo^ if I did Vfii tmr 
ly fi)f etel of what leg my mafter va9 Ume } 
Your worfliip fliall undeiftand» in good timt, 
that without the affiftance of that fiun^ Urg«i<» 
da, wo know how to cure the hurt» yoa hivv« 
reoeited ; and cuyfed, I iay, nay, a homli^ 
and a hundred timee eurlbd foe thofe bookA of 
chivalry, which have fia di&Nrdered your h^ 
nour'a bvaim !^ Having earned him to hia bed» 
they begaa t» fearch fq? his wounds, but f QiM 
fiad qpne: and he tcid them that his «hole 
body was one cosktioued bmilb, ocaafipiifid 
by the fall of his horfe Roziuante, during 
his engagement with ten of the moft infolent 
and outTj^eous giants that ever appeared upon 
the face of the earth. ** Ah, hah ! cried the 
curate, have we got giaAt^ too in the dance ! 

* The nam» of |i goo()-nafiMre4 enchaivprfs in Amadli de G^uJ^ 
Daring the age of knight-crraiiayi it was vflial for faMÜti to Andy die 
«BKof IWi^»inQrd«r tt dnft tfar WuHt ^ iMi MgMs ^il# wne 
their ienrants. One of the heroines of Perceforeft lays to Noipl, 
■ Fair nephew, methinks yoor aim is not at eafe.* * In fiüthi dear 

* JKly» aoiwqred Hwl» ypu 9re ii| the nz^ i. aufi I be fe tdi y«i ^ 

* take it under your oare.* Thert (he called her daughter Helen, who 
tniemÜMd bcr cenan «Ith good ohtfer, aMi iftcrwandi csANid M Wa 
W>HChv¡MdU)pcate4p 


56 DONQ^ÜIXOTB. 

Now by the faith of my iundion, I will re- 
duce them all to aíhes before to-morrow night.*' 

A thoufand qaeftions did they afk of the 
knight» who made no other anfwer» but de- 
fired them to briüg him fome food, and leave 
him to his repofe, which indeed was what he 
had moft occafion for. They complied whh 
his requeft, and the curate informed himfelf 
at large, of the manner in which he had been 
found by the countryman, who gave him full 
fatisfadion in that particular, and repeated all 
the nonfenfe he had uttered when he firft 
found him; as well as what he afterwards 
fpoke in their way home. This information 
confirmed the licentiate in his refolution, which 
was executed next day, when he brought hia 
friend mailer Nicolas, the barber, along with 
him to Don Qgixote's houfe. 


^^^^^^^i^^^^^^M^^^^^^^^^^^^ 


CHAP. VI. 


, Of the divirting and mnutt fcrutiny performed by the 
curate and the barber^ in the library of eurfagacieue 
here. 

^V^HILE the knight was aflcep, his friends 
came and demanded of his niece the key of 
the clofet^ in which thofe books, the authors 


DON QJJ I X O T E. 57 

r 

of his misfortune, were kept, and Ihe deliver- 
ing it with great cheariulnefs, they went into 
it in a body, houfekeeper and all> and found 
upwards of a hundred volumes, great and 
fmall, extremely well bound ; which were no 
fooner perceived by the govemante, than ihe 
ran out with great eagemefs, and immediate- 
ly returned with a porringer of holy water, 
and a fprig of hyffop, faying : ** Here, mailer 
licentiate, pray take and fprinkle the clofet, 
left* fome one of the many enchanters contain- 
ed in thefe books ihould ezercife his art upon 
us, as a puniihment for our burning and ba^ 
l^ifliing them from the face of the earth." 

The licentiate, fmiling at the old houfe* 
keeper's fimplicity, defired the barber to hand 
him the books, one by one, that he might fee 
of what fubjefls they treated, becaufe they 
might poflibly find fome that did not deferve 
to be purged by fire, " There is not one of 
them, replied the niece, which deferves the 
leaft mercy, for they arc all fiiU of mifchief 
and deceit. You had better, therefore, throw 
them out of the window into the court-yard, 
and there fet fire to them in a heap : or let 
them be carried into the back-yard, where the 
bonfire may be made, and the fmoke will 
offend nobody. The houfekeeper aflented to 
this propoial, fo eager were they both to de- 
^roy thpfe innocents; but the curate would b^ 


58 99V«J^>X0Tf. 

BO meaas Qne^^ujf^ge ^«^ Ucbtrtty; witboNt 

readiag firft, if p^tpj^» ^ tjLtk-p«ge^ 

The firft thiA n^ft^]? )^koIas dQlivei:e4 ialp 
bis hapd, were t-h^. fmr v^mes of Amadla de 
G^uL '' There ia^ fai^ tUe g^d oum, fofl^e- 
tbíxig myfterims ia th^ eircoi»(^aoce ; for> at 
I h#ye beai d, tbf t wta th^ firft book of cbival- 
xy ppíntfd in ^pum, froA wbicb all the reft 
hav^ dtriye^ tbeir origin apd plan j ^ctd ihere- 
ffer^, i© my opmipp, we wgbt to eoademm 
bim t^ the fire, without hefitatioo, at tbQ law* 
gi¥cr of fuQh a jierfticiQas feilt" ** Bjr bo 
Bieans^ cried the bstrber^ |ior I have aUo heard, 
that this is the beft book of the kind, that was 
evcir ooqipoffd ; aBd therefore oi)gbt to be par- 
das^ ajs 9n ^rigiix^l ai^ model i« its way.*^ 
^' Right, faid th^ cerate, and for that reafou 
he ihall be fpared for tM prefect. Let n» fee 

th^t ^iber, whp ftand^ wn to blmt" ^ Tbi* 
i^ya the Wbdr» epntains tbfi atchievemeitta of 
JRfpl^t^ii, the lawfol fop of Aw^di^ de Qaid/' 
•^ Tyqly th^il, faid the eiiurate, the virtues of 
(b« f^her &aU |iot a^aü the (<hi : here» mif* 
tiefi; hoi|feke«per, ope«i that window, aod to& 
bim ÍBto the yard» where be ibaH f(^rve ad « 
fband^tioíL fpi the bo«&e we Wend «> «ake.'* 

Thi? taik the hwftketffcer perfor«ed with 
infipifti fetii^faftipii^ and the worthy Efplaodi- 
an toolf his flight ÍBÍQ tbq yard, to wait in pa- 


^ji^ce far tlaie firn, wi^ wh^cli h^ was tbre^teiif 
cd. '* Proceed," ^ric4 the curi^t^. " This, 
that comes ne](t, i^ld the barber, is Amadis of 
Greeqe ; aad I bf l^ve all the authors ou this 
(helf arc of the fftm<? fiuaily." ^* To thfi yard 
thea with all of th^m, replied the curate ; for, 
nth^r th^a not bijim qoeen Pintiqpainieftra, and 
the ihepherd Darinel with hU ^f^logiies, toge^ 
ther with the unintelligible and bedeviled dif- 
cour&s of his author, I would even confuroe 
(he £|thQr who begat me, fhould he appear ii^ 
the figure 9f a k^tghl-eirant," *' I am of your 
fpiaioq," f^id th^ barber. '* And I," cried 
tj^ niece. ^^ Since that is the cafe, faid th^ 
l^ff jb;eop^r, to the y^rd with them immedi* 
|te^/' Aecordifigly they delivered a num-i 
ber into h^r haud^ and ihe, out of tfsndernefs 
fof the ñair-qafe, fofit them all out of the win«« 

dow. 

'* Who way thfit tun^iki authsr b^ ?" feicj 
th^ córate, " This heie, ajifivered the bar-5 
h«f, is Doa OlivaftW dn LaurSf** " The very 
inmc^ replied the QuiDst^, wh^ compofed th^ 
Garden pf Flowers, ai^td truly it is hard to de-i 
termine, whiqh of hjs two books is the mod 
true, or rather which of them is leaft falfe; 
all that I know is, that h$ Ihall go to the piW 
for his arrogance and foUy*" '' H^ that fol- 
lows, fays th^ barber, is florifoarte of Hirea^» 
»i»,*' ** What ! Sigaar f loñfmarte ? repUc4 


6o D o K Q^ü ! X o T E. 

the curate : in faith then he muft prepare for 
his fate ; notwithftandiiig his furprifing birth, 
and mighty adventures, and the unparalleled 
ftiffncfs and fterility of his ftilc. Etown with 
him, miilrefs houfekeeper, and take this other 
along with you alfo.*' ^' With all my heart, 
dear fir," replied the governante, who execut-» 
ed his commands with vaft alacrity* 

** He that comes next, faid the barber, is 
the knight Platir.'* " That is an old book, 
faid the clergyman ; but as I can find nothing 
in him that deferves the leaft regard, he muft 
e'en keep the reft company/' He was accord- 
ingly doomed to the flames, without farther 
queííion. The next book they opened was 
entitled, the Knight of the Crofs, which the 
curate having read ; ^ The ^orance of this 
author, faid he, might be pardoned, on* ac-' 
count of his holy tide ; but, according to the 
proverb, the devil ikulks behind the crofs, 
and therefore let him defcend into the fire.'* 
Mafter Nicolas taking up another book, found 
it was the Mirrour of Chivalry. " Oh, ho! 
cried the curate, I have the honour to know 
his worftiip; away with Signor Rinaldo de 
Mont-alban, with his friends and companions, 
who were greater thieves than Cacus, not for- 
getting the twelve peers, together with Turpin, 
their candid hiftorian. Tho' truly, in my 
opinion, their punifliment. ought not to exceed 


DON QJ3 I X O T E. 6t 

perpetual baniflunent, becaufe thef contain 
ibme part of the invention of the renowned 
Matteo Boyardo, on which was woven the in<* 
genious web of the chriftian poet Ludovico 
Ariofto, to whom, ihould I find him here 
fpeaking in any other language than his own, 
I would pay no regard ; but, if he talks in his 
own idiom, I will place him on my head, in 
token of refpe£i/' ** I have got him at home, 
laid the barber, in Italian, but I don't under- 
ftand that language." ^' Nor is it neceíTary 
you ihould, replied the curate ; and here let 
us pray heaven to forgive the captain, who has 
impoveriihed him fo much, by tranilating him 
into Spanifli, and making him a Caftilian. 
And indeed the fame thing will happen to all 
thofe who pretend to tranilate books of poetry 
into a foreign language; for, in fpite of all 
their care and ability, they will find it im- 
poflible to give the tranflation the fame enei^y 
which is found in the original. In fliort, I 
fentenc^ this book, and all thofe which we Ihall 
find treating of French matters, to be thrown 
and depofited in a dry well, until we can de- 
termine at more leifure what fate they muft un- 
dergo, except Bernardo del Carpió, and ano- 
ther called Roncefvalles, which, if they fall 
into my hands, ihall pafs into thofe of the 
houfekeeper, and thence into the fire, without 
any mitigation/' 


Hz DOM <l^Ü i'XÓtt. 

This wáé tp^oVcd of *8 áíi tic^íttkabk tkcU 
fidn, and ac(x)tdiligly «oiifif mid bjr the barlJct, 
wfco knéjiv th¿ «líate to bé íuth a good cKrií- 
tiáñ, ai»! fé áiuch á frienct tó titidl, thát lió 
*Wild not hé ^tlty of án eqnivócaíeioii for the 
iftrbole tiüirérfe. The écxt i«>hunc fee opened 
i^afe fafeierifl d^Olivk ; and haid by him ftood 
anotWi* called PaliÁerin bí Ehglañd, which 
ifráí no foéótír j)é*ceited by the lifcentiate, than 
he cried, ^Léí that diVa be hewn iti pieces, 
and burúed ft>, ks not fo mctch as a cinder ol^ 
him ihall Ittn^ ; btit let the Eñgliíh Palme^ 
fin be defended, and preféi*ved as an inefti- 
faiable jewel, and fuch another *aíkét be made 
fbr him as that which Alexander found ámbng 
the fpoils of thiriiiS), and tJtMnfed ks á tafe for 
the works tf Homer. That book, neighbour, 
is venerable for tVro rfeafons ; firift, becaufc it 
is in itfelf cicdlent ; atid, fecbndly, bccaúfc 
it is Táid tb have bfeen compdfed by án iñge- 
Aiot» kiilg of Pofttfgal. All the ádVeñttirt« 
6Í the táftlié of Miragnafda ait intompara- 
Mé, áiQtd ttoñtrited with infinite kit t the hn- 
güáfgé peiíji^ienotts and el^ant, and the chia- 
raftelis ftip^tted with great prtíprrety of feü- 
timetit and iflécohim. I projiófé, Mr. ííiéó. 
fes, favltig yetor better jndgmetit, tó eíempt 
lihis bbok and Amadió de Oanl^oth the Hkmes, 
and let aM the itft ^íÜh, witittnit fanh&r en- 
qniry." 


éoÉiivixótL €3 

" Pardon ínc, neigUwul:, replifed the bar- 
ber, I have feerc gdt in my hand the renowned 
Don Bellianis.** ** Even he, anfwcred the 
pñtíñ. With the fecbnd, third, and fbnrth 
parte, ftáñds veíy much ih need of a little 
rhubaife to ptótgfe his exccflive choler, and 
ought to be pruned of that Whole caftle of 
fkme, ahd othet mote important impertlnen* 
tífeé. For Which rcafon, let the fencehce be 
changed into transportation, and, according as 
he tefortnSi he ftiall be treated with lenity and 
jufttct. In the mean tiine, friend Nicolas, 
keep hith fafe in your houfe, but of the reach 
of cvety itiadfer/' ^' With all my foul !** an^ 
ffitrtd the Itetber ; and without givifag them- 
felvcs tfee twmble of reading any more titles, 
they ordered the houfeketpet to difmifs all the 
\sifgt hboks inm thb yátd. 

This ^iffe6¿<»i was not given to a perfon 
who Was étthler donating or deaf, but to onfc 
who wad much more inclined to petfbrm thit 
office thka to compofe tht largtfft ahd ñneft 
Weft tlMrt ever was feen. Taking up, there- 
fore, fevea oí- eight át a tiifac, ihc hftived them 
énA of the Wiíidów with inctedible difpatch. 
Wkife Ihfe was thu* endeavouring to lift a good 
many together, one of them chanced to fall at 
the feet of the barber, who being feized with 
Ih iñdihátion of knowing the contents, Íoun«i, 
upon examination^ that it was called the hifto- 


¿4 DON Q^Ü 1 X Q T B. 

ry of the famous knight Tirante the White- 
^^ Heaven be praifed ! cried the curate aloud^ 
that we have difcovered Tirante the White in 
this place ; pray give it me, neighbour ; for in 
this book I reckon I have found a treafure of 
fatisfa¿iion, and a rich mine of amufement.^' 
** Here is the famous Godamercy * of Mont- 
alban, and his brother Thomas of Mont-alban, 
and the knight Fonfeca, as alfo an account of 
the battle fought between Alano and the va- 
liant Detriante, tc^ether with the witticifms of 
the young lady, Joy of my life, with the amor- 
ous ilratagems of the widow Qgiet and her 
highnefs the emprefs, who was enamoured of 
her fquire Hippolito* I do aíTure you, upon 
my word, Mr. Nicolas, that, in point of ftile, 
this is the beft book that ever was written. 
Here the knights eat, fleep, and die in their 
beds, after having made their wills, with many 
circumftances that are wanting in other books 
of the fame kind. Notwithilanding, the au- 
thor who compoled it certainly deferved to, be 
fent to the gallies for life, for having fpent his 
time in writing fo much nonfenfe. Take and 
read him at home, and you ihall find what I 
fay is true." " Very like, replied the barber; 
what ihall we do with thefe fmall books that 
remain ?" 

* In Che original Kirieleübn, from the two Oreek wordf »¿f4 
fAli|r«y, fisnifyingi Loitl have mercy. 


D o N Q^U I X 6 T B. 65 

" Thcfc, faid the curate, cannot be books 
of chivalry, but muft be poems." According- 
ly, opening one, he found it was the Diana 
ojf George de Monte*major, and takmg it for 
granted that they were all of the fame kind, 
faid^ ^'Thefe books do not deferve to be burnt 
with the reft ; for they neither are, nor ever 
will be guilty of fo much mifchief, as thofe of 
chivalry have done; being books of entertain* 
mcnt, and no ways prejudicial to religion.^ 
''Pray, iir, faid the niece, be fo good as to 
order thefe to be burnt with the reft ; for my 
uncle will no fooner be cured of his knight-» 
errantry, than by reading thefe he will turn 
fliepherd, and wander about the groves and 
meadows piping and finging; nay, what is 
worfe, perhaps turn poet, which, they fay, is 
an infeftious and incurable diftemper." ** The 
young woman is in the right, faid the ciurate^ 
and therefore it won't be amifs to remove this 
temptation and ftumbling-block out of our 
friend's way. Since we have therefore begun 
with the Diana of Monte-major, I am of opi- 
nion, that we fliould not burn him, but only 
expunge what relates to the fage Felicia, and 
the enchanted water, together with all the larger 
poems, and leave to him, a God's name, all 
the profe, and the honour of being the ring« 
leader of the writers of that clafs." 

Vol. L F 


66 DON Q^U I X O T E, 

" Thb that follows, laid the barber, is call- 
ed Diana the fecoad of Salmantino, and this 
other that bears the fame name, is writoeii by 
Gil Polo.'* ^ Let Salmantino, replied the cu- 
rate, increafe the number of thofe that are aU 
ready condemned to the yard; but let ^ Gil 
Polo be prefervcd as carefully as if it was the 
produdioa of Apollo himielfl Proceed, friend 
Nicolas, and let us difpatch, for it grows late.'' 
** This here book, faid the barber, opening the 
next, is called the ten books of the Fortune of 
Love, the produ¿lion of Antonio Lofrafco, a 
Sardinian poet*" " By my holy orders, cried 
the curate, fince Phoebus was Apollo, the mufes 
the daughters of Jove, and bards delighted in 
poetry, there never was fuch a pleafant and 
comical perforiqance compofed as this, which 
is the beft and moft original of the kind, which 
ever faw the light : and he who has not read 
it may aíTure himfel^ that he has never read 
any thing of taile : reach it me, neighbour; 
it gives me more pleafure to have found this, 
than if I had received a caflbck of Florence 
filk." 

Accordingly he laid it carefully by, with 
infinite pleafure, and the barber proceeded iu 
his taik, faying,. " Thofe! that come. next are 
the Shepherd of Iberia^ the liymphs of He* 
nares, and the Undeceptions of Jealoufy^" 
*' Then there is no more to do, faid the pyieil, 


D o H Q^IJ I X O T S. 67 

but to deliver them oyer to the fecolar arm 
of the houfekeeper, and do not aik me, why ? 
elfe we fliall never have done/* " Here come* 
the Shepherd of Filida.** " He i« no ihep- 
herd, cried the curate, but a very elegani 
courtier, and therefore preferve him as a pre- 
cious jewel/' Then the barber laid hold oí 
a very large volume, which was entitled The 
Treafure of Poetry. " If there was not fo 
much of htm, he would be more efteemed, 
faid the licentiate; that book ought to be 
weeded and cleared of certain meannelles, 
which have crept into the midft of its excel-' 
lencies : take care of it, for the author is my 
friend, and deferves regard for fome other 
more heroic and elevated works, which he has 
compofed.*' " And this, continued the bar- 
ber, is a colle¿tion of fongs, by Lopez Mal- 
donado/' ** That, author is my very good 
friend alfo, • replied the curate, and his own 
vetfes out of his own mouth are the admira- 
tion of every body ; for he chants them with 
ib fweet a voice, that the hearers are enchant-* 
ed. His -eclogues - are -indeed a little difiiife, 
but there cannot be too much of a good thing. 
Let them be prefervcd among the eleél : but, 
pray what book is that next to it?" When 
the barber told him it was the Galatea of Mi- 
guel de Cervantes ; " that fame Cervantes, faid 
he> has been an intimate friend of mine thefe 
many years, and is to my certain knowledge 


6S DON Q^U I X O T B. 

more coxiverfant with misfortunes than poetryi 
There is a good vein of invention in his book^ 
which propofes fomething, though it concludes 
nothing. We muft wait for the fccond part, 
which he promifes, and then perhaps his 
amendment may deferve a full pardon, which 
is now denied : until that happens, let him be 
clofe confined in your clofeti" 

"With all my heart, replied the barber; 
but here come three more together, the Arau- 
cana of Don Alonzo de Ercilla, the Auftriada 
of Juan Rufo Jurado de Cordova, and the Mon- 
ferrato of Chriftoval de Virues, a Valentian 
poet." " Thefe three books, faid the curate, 
are the beft epic poems in the Caftilian lan- 
guage, and may be compared with the moft 
renowned performances of Italy. Let them 
be kept as the ineilimable pledges of Spanilh 
poetry." The curate grew tired of examining 
more books, and would have condemned all 
the reft, contents unknown, if the barber had 
not already opened another, which was called 
the Tears of Angelica. " I ihould have ihed 
tears for my raihnefs, faid the curate, hearing 
the name, if I had ordered that book to be 
burned ; for its author was one of the moft 
celebrated poets, not only of Spain but of the 
whole world, and, in particular, extremely 
fuccefsful in tranilating fome of the Metamor* 
pbofes of Ovid." 


ÍQN (LU IX 0TB. 69 


CHAP. VIL 

fbi fic(md JaUy of our worthy knight Don ^uixoto do la 

Mancha* 

W^HILE they were bufied in this manner, 
Don Qgizote began to cry aloud : ** This way, 
this way, ye valiant knights, now is the time 
to ihew the ftrength of your invincible arms, 
that the courtiers may not carry <^ the honour 
of the tournament." The fcrutiny of the 
books that remained was deferted by the curate 
and barber, who haftened to the author of 
this noify exclamation, and it is believed, that 
all were committed to the flames, unfeen, un- 
heard, not even excepting the Carolea, and 
Lyon of Spain, together with the exploits of 
the emperor, compofed by Don Luis d'Avila, 
which were, doubtlefs, among thofe committed 
to the fire, though perhaps, bad the curate 
leen them, they would not have undergone fo 
fevere a fentence* 

When they arrived in Don Quixote's cham- 
ber, they found him on the floor, proceeding 
with his rhapfody, and fencing with the walls,, 
as broad awake as if he had never felt the 
influence of fleep. Laying hold on him, by 
force they reconveyed him tf> his bed, where. 


70 DON Q^U I X Q T'E. 

after having refted a little, he returned to his 
ravings, and addreíTed himfelf to the curate 
in thcfe words : ** Certainly, my lord archbi- 
ihop Turpin, we, who are called the twelve 
peers of France, will be greatly difgraced, if 
we allow the court knights to win the vidory 
in this tournament, after we, the adventurers, 
have gained the prize in the three predediug 
days*" " Givcj yourfelf no trouble about that 
Gonfiderati<>u, my worthy friend, faid the cu« 
rate ; for Providence may tura the fcale^ and 
what is loft t<iuday may be retrieved to-«Qtrow, 
I», the mmti time have a reverend cadre of your 
health for you feem to be é:scefiivel7 fatigued, 
if not wpuaded grievoüfly " ' ;". I am not 
wounded, reji^Ucd the knight; but, that I am 
battered and bruifed, there, is no manner of 
doubt : for the baftard Don Orlando has maul- 
ed me to mummy, with the trunk of an oak ; 
and all out . of mere envy, becaufe he faw that 
I alone withftood his valour. But may I no 
liHiger deferve the name of Reynaldos de 
Mont-alban, if, when I rife from this bed, I 
do not repay him in his own coin, in fpite of 
all his enchantments. Mean while bring me 
lome food, which is what I chiefly want at 
preient> and let me alone to take vengeance 
tor the injury I have received/' 

In compliance with his . defire they brought 
him fomething to eat, and left him again to 


DON <ljül XOT E. 71 

his rtfppíé» not without admiration of his mad- 
nefa and extravagance. That very night the 
houfekeeper fet fire to, and confumed, not 
only all the books that were in the yard, but 
alfo every .one. ihe could find in the houfe ; 
and no doubt many were burned, which de^ 
lerved to have been kept as perpetual archives. 
But this their deftiny, and the lazinefs of the 
inquifitors, would not allow ; fo that in them 
was fulfilled the old proverb, a faint may 
fométimes fufferjor ajinner. A^other remedy, 
which the cujrate and barber pr^fcribed for the 
diftemper of their friend was^. to alter and 
block up the clofet where his books had been 
kept ; that xiipon his ^ettipg np^ he fliould 
not find them, and the cayfe 'being taken away» 
the e&& might ceafe ; and that> npon his en^ 
quiry, they ihould tell him. an enchanter had 
carried them off, clofet and all; this refolu-» 
tion was executed with all imaginable difpatch» 
during the two days that Don Qgixote kept 
his bed. 

The firft thing he did when he got up, waa 
to go and vifit his books^ and not finding the 
apartment- where he had left it, be went from 
one comer of the houfe to the other inqueft 
of his iludy. Coming to the j^ace where the 
door ilood, he endeavoured, but in vain, to get 
in, and cail his eyes all around^ without ut* 
tering one fylUble : but after he had fpent 


72 DON Q^U I X O T E. 

ibme time in this fort of examination, he en- 
quired of his houfekeeper whereabouts he 
might find his book-clofet. She, being welU 
inftruded, readily anfwered, **What clofet, 
or what nothing is your worihip in fearch 
of ? There are neither books nor clofet in this 
houfe ; for the devil himfelf has run away with 
both." ** It was not the devil, cried the niece, 
but an enchanter that conveyed himfelf hither 
in a cloud, one night after your worihip's de- 
parture, and alighting from a dragon on which. 
he was mounted, entered the clofet, where I 
know not what he did, but having (laid a very 
litde while, he came flying through the roof, 
leaving the whole houfe full of fmoke. And 
when we went to fee what he had done, we 
could neither find books nor clofet : only the 
houfekeeper and I can very well remember, 
that when the old wicked conjurer went away, 
he cried in a loud voice, that for the hatred 
he bore to the mailer of thofe books and clo- 
fet, he had done that mifchief, which would 
afterwards appear : he faid alfo, that his name 
was the fage Munaton," " You mean Fref- 
ton," faid Don Qjjixote. " I do not know, 
anfwered the houfekeeper, whether it was 
Frefton, or Friton ; but this I am certain of, 
that his name ended in ton," " The cafe then 
is plain, faid the knight, that fame fage en- 
chanter is one of my greateft enemies ; who 
bears me a grudge, becaufe he knows, by the 


DOW <i^U I X O T I. «yj 

myftery of his art, that the time will come, 
when I ihall fight and vanquifh in fingle battle 
a certain knight, whom he favours, in fpite of 
all he can do to prevent my fuccefs ; and for 
this reafon, he endeavours to give me every 
mortification in his power; but let me tell 
him he won't find it an eafy matter to con* 
tradi^ or evade what heaven has decreed." 
** Who ever doubted that? faid the niece; 
but what bufinefs have you, dear uncle, with 
thefe quarrels i Would it not be better to 
live in peace at home, than to ftray up and 
down the world in fearch of fuperfine bread, 
without confldering that many a one goes out 
for wool, and comes home quite ihom." ^' My 
dear niece, replied Don Quixote, you are al* 
together out of your reckoning. Before I be 
ihorn, I will pull and pluck off the beards 
of all thofe who pretend to touch a fingle 
hair of my muftachio/' 

The two women did not choofe to make 
any farther anfwer, becaufe they perceived 
that his choler was very much inflamed. Af« 
ter this tranfa¿lion, however, he ftaid at home 
fifteen days in great tranquillity, without giv- 
ing the leaft fign or inclination to repeat his 
folly ; during which time many infinitely di-^ 
verting converfations paiTed between him and 
his friends, the curate and the barber : where** 
in he obferved that the world was in want of 


74 POM Q^U I X o T S* 

^othizig fo much as of knigbts-errant, and that 
in him this honourable order was revived. 
The clergyman fometimesxQntradi¿led.him> 
and fometimes aíTented to what he faid, be^ 
cauf^ without this artful conduél, he would 
have had no chance of bringing him to reafon. 

About this time too, the knight tampered 
with a peafant in the neighbourhood, a very 
honeft fellow, if a poor man may deferve diat 
title, but one who had a very fmall quantity of 
brains in his.ikulL In ihort^ he faid fo much, 
ufed fo many arguments to perfuade, and pro* 
mifed him fuch moimtains of wealth, that this 
poor £mpleton determined to follow^ and ferve 
him in quality of fquire. Among other things, 
that he might be difpofed to engage chearfuUy, 
the knight told him, that an adventuie might 
one day happen, in which he ihould win fome 
ifland in the twinkling of an eye, and appoint 
him governor of his conqueit. Intoxicated 
with thefe, and other fuch promifes, Sancho 
Panza (fo was the countryman called) deferted 
his wife and children, and lifted himfelf as 
his neighbour's fquire. 

Thus far fuccefsful, Don Quixote took mea<> 
fures for fupplying himfelf with money, aud 
what by felling one thing, mortgaging another, 
and making a great many very bad bai^ains, 
he raifed a tolerable fum. At the fame time 


accommodating himíelf y^fitüi a target, wliích 
he borrowed of a friend, and patching up the 
remains of his vizor as well as he could, he 
advertifed his fquire Sancho of the day and 
hour in which he refiolv.ed to fet out, that he 
might provide himfelf with thofe things which 
he thought moft neceifary for the occafion; 
above all things, charging him to purchafe a 
wallet. Sancho promifed to obey his orders^ 
and moreover faid, he was refolved to carry 
along with. him an excellent afs which he had, 
as he was not defigned by nature to travel far 
oh foot, 

• 

With regard to the afs, Don Qjiixote demur*' 
xed a little, endeavouring to recoUe^l fome 
knight-errant who had entertained a fquire 
mounted on an afs ; but as no fuch inftance oc- 
curred to his memory, he was neverthelcfs de- 
termined to allow it on this occafion, on^ a fup- 
poiition that he ihould be able to accommodate 
him with a inore honourable carriage, by dif- 
mounting the firit diicourteous knight he ihould 
meet with. He alfó laid in a flore of linen, 
and every thing elfe in his power, conformably 
to the advice of the inn-keeper. 

Every thing being thus fettled and fulfilled. 
Panza, without taking leave of his children 
and wife ; and Don Qjiixote, without bidding 
adieu to his niece and houfekeeper, falUed 


7$ n Q H Q^U ( X o T £. 

forth from the village one night, imperceiycd 
by any living foul, and travelled fo hard, that 
before dawn they found themfelves feeure from 
all feareh, if any fuch had been made : San-> 
cho Pan^a journeying upon his afs like a ve^ 
nerable patriarch, with his wallet and leathern 
bottle, longing extremely to fee himfelf fettled 
in the government of that iiland which wa% 
promifed to him by his miaft^r. 

The knight happened to take the iame route^ 
and follow the fame road in which he travelled 
at his firft fally through the field of Montiel> 
over which he now pafled with much lefs pain 
than formerly, becaufe it was now early in 
the morning, the rays of the fun were more 
oblique, confequently he was lefs difturbcd by 
the heat. It was hereabouts that Sancho firft 
opened his mouth, faying to his mailer, '^ Sir 
knight-^errant, I hope your worihip will not 
forget that fame ifland which you have pro- 
mifed me, and which I warrant myfelf able to 
govern, let it be as great as it will/' To this 
remonftrance Don Qjiizote replied, *' You muft 
know, friend Sancho Pan^a, that it was an 
eftabliihed cuftom among the ancient knights^ 
errant, to inveft their fquires with the govern- 
ment of fuch iilands and kingdoms as they 
had laid under their fubje¿tion; and I am 
firmly refolved, that fuch a grateful pra£tice 
fliall never &il in me, who, ou the contrary» 


mean to improve it by my generofityt for 
they fometimes, nay generally, waited until 
theit fcpiires turned grey-haired, and then af- 
ter they were worn out with fervice, and had 
endured many difmal days and doleful nights, 
beftowed upon them the title of count, or mar- 
qaifs at leaft, of fome valley or province, more 
ch: lefs: but if heaven fpares thy life and 
mine, before fix days be at an end, I may 
chance to acquire fuch a kingdom as fliall have 
others depending upon it, as if exprefsly de- 
figned for thee, to be crowned fovereign in 
one of them. And thou oughteft ' not to be 
furprized, that fuch incidents and accidents 
happen to knights-errant, by means never be- 
fore known or conceived, as will enable me 
even to exceed my promife." " In that cafe, 
replied Sancho Panza, if I fliould ever become 
a king, by any of thofe miracles which your 
worihip mentions, my duck Juana Gutierez 
wonld aifo be a queen, and each of my 
daughters an in£mta." '' Certainly, laid the 
knight; who doubts that ?'* « That do I, faid 
the fquire; for certain I am, that though it 
were to rain kingdoms upon the earth, not one 
of them would fit feemly on the head of Mary , 
* Gutierez ; your worihip muil know, ihe is 
not worth a farthing for a queen : ihe might do 
indeed for a countefs, widi the blefiing of God, 
and good aififtance/' " Recommend the mat- 

* Ham ooroet Juana to be fo foddmly metamorphofcd ¡mo Mary f 


^8 D o K Q^U I X O T E. 

ter to Providence, replied Don Q¡iixote, which 
will beftow upon thee what will be beft adapN 
ed to thf capacity! bat let not thy foul be 
fo far debafed^ as to content itfelf with any 
thing lefs than a viccroyalty." " That I will 
not, anfwered Sancho, éfpecially as I have a 
•powerful mailer in your worfliip, who will 
load me with as much preferment as I can 
conveniently bear;" 


CHAP. VIIL 

0/ the haffy fuccefs of the valiant Don ^ixotey and 
the dreadful and inconeetvahle adventure of the wind- 
mills^ with other incidents worthy to be recorded hy 
thi mojl aUe hijlorian. 

I N the midft of this their converfation, they 
dilbdvered thirty or forty wind-mills all together 
on thi plain» which the knight no fooner per* 
ceived, than he faid to the fquire; ^ Chance 
has conduced our afiairs even better than we 
could either wiíh or hope for; look there» 
fiiend Sancho, and behold thirty or forty out- 
rageous giants; with whom I intend to engage 
in battle, and put every foul of them to death, 
lb that we may be^n to enrich ourfelves vñth 
their fpoils ; for it is a meritorious war£ue^ 


DON HJÜ I X O T C 79 

and ferviceable both to God and man, to ex- 
tirpate fuch a wieked race from the face of the 
earth." " What giants do you mean ?" faid 
Sancho Panza in amaze. ^* Thofe you fee 
yonder, replied his mailer, with vaft extended 
arms ; fome of which are two leagues long.'* 
" I would your worfhip would take notice, re- 
plied Sancho, that thofe you fee yonder are 
no giants, but wind-mills; and what feem 
arms to you, are fails, which being turned 
with the wind, make the mill-ftone work." 
•* It feems very plain, faid the knight, that 
you are but a novice in adventures; thefe I 
affirm to be giants, and if thou art afraid, 
get out of the reach of danger, and put up thy 
prayers for me, while I join with them in fierce 
and unequal combat." So faying he put fpurs 
to his fteed Rozinante, without paying the leaft 
regard to the cries of his fquire Sancho, who 
aíTured him, that thofe he was going to attack 
were no giants, but innocent wind-mills : but 
he was fo much poíTeíTed with the opinion that 
' they were giants, that he neither heard the 
advice of his fquire Sancho, nor would ufe the 
intelligence of his own eyes, though he was 
very near them : on the contrary, when he 
approached them, he called aloud : ^ Fly notj 
ye bafe and cowardly mifcreants, for he is 
but a fingle knight who now attacks you." At 
that inftant, a breeze of wind fpringing up, 
the great fails began to turn; "which being 


8o D o N a.U I X o TE. 

perceived by Don Qjiizote, " Though you 
wield, faid be» more arms than ever belonged 
to the giant Briareus, I will make you pay 
for your infolence.'* So faying, and heartily 
recommending himfelf to his lady Dulcinea^ 
whom he implored to fuccour him in this 
emergency, bracing on his target, and fetting 
his lance in the reft, he put his Rozinante to 
full fpeed, and aíTaulting the neareft wind* 
mill, thnift it into one of the fails, which 
was drove about by the wind with fo much 
fiiry, that the lance was fliivered to pieces, 
and both knight and need whirled aloft, 
and overthrown in very bad plight upon the 
plain. 

Sancho Panza rode as faft as the afs could 
carry him to his ailiftance ; and when he came 
up, found him unable to ftir, by reafon of the 
bruifes which he and Rozinante had received. 
^* . Lord have mercy upon us ! faid the fquire, 
did not I tell your worihip to confider well 
what you were about ? Did not I afliire yoU| 
they were no other than wind-mills ? Indeed 
nobody could miftake them for any thing elfe, 
but one who has wind^-mills in his own head !'' 
" Prithee hold thy peace, friend Sancho, re- 
plied Don Q)iixote; the affairs of war are, 
more than any thing, fubjefl to change. How 
much more fo, as I believe, nay, am certain, 
that the fage Frefton^ who ftole my clofet and 


DONQ^UIXOTB. 8l 

bdoks, has converted thofe giants into mills^ 

in order to rob me of the honour of their over* ' 

throw ; liich is the enmity he bears me ; but 

in the end, all his treacherous arts will but 

little avail againft the v^our of my fword/' 

'* God's will be done !" replied Sancho Panza» 

who helped him to rife and mount Rozinante 

that was almoft disjointed* 

While they converfed together upon what 
had happened, they followed the road that 
leads to the pafs of Lapice ; for in that, which 
was a great thoroughfare, as Don Ogizote ob- 
ferved, it was impoi&ble but they muil meet 
with many and divers adventures. As he jog- 
ged along, a good deal concerned for the lofs 
of his lance, he faid to his fquire, ^* I remem- 
ber to have read of a Spaniih knight, called 
Diego Perez de Vaigos, who, having broke his 
fword in battle, tore off a mighty bcanch or 
bough from an oak, with which he performed 
fuch wonders, and felled fo many Moors, that 
he retained the name of Machuca, or the 
Feller, and all his defcendants, from that day 
forward, have gone by the name of Vargos 
and Machuca. This circumftance I mention 
to thee, becaufe, from the firft afli or oak that 
I meet with, I am refolved to rend as large 
and flout a bough as that, with which I ex- 
peel, and intend to perform fuch exploits, as 
thou ihalt think thyfelf extremely happy iu 

Vol. I. G 


Si ffoiTQ^u izote; 

being thought worthy to fee» Kfid give teftU 
inony to feats, odierwife incredible." •• By 
God's help, ikys Sancho, I belitve that eirery 
thing will happen as yout worihip fays, but 
pray, fir, fit a litde tdore upright ; for yon feem 
to lean ftnoigely to one fide, whieh muft pro- 
ceed from the bmifes you received in y^ur 
falL" '' Thou art iü úie right, anfwered Don 
Qgizote; and if Ldo not complain of the pain, 
it is becaufe kni^^^extaiit ave not permitted 
to complain of any wound they Deceive, even 
tho' f^eir bowels fhoaid come out- of their bo- 
dies." '' If that be the cafe, I ha^ nothing to 
reply,. faid Sancho» but God knows» I ihould be 
glad your worfiiip would complain when any 
thing gives yon pain : this t know, that, for my 
own part, the fnudleft pritk in die world would 
make me coniplain, if that law of not com- 
plaining does not reach to the fquires as well 
M the ¿lights." Don Qgjbeote could not help 
fmiling at the fimplicity of his fquire, to 
whom he gave permiifion to complain as much 
and as o&en as he pleafec^ whether he had 
caafe or no ; for, as yec , he had itcñá nothing 
to the contrary in the hiftory of knight-er- 
rantry. 

Then Sancho obferving that it was dinner- 
time, his mafter told him, that for the prefent 
he had no oecafioiS for fyod; but that he, hU 
Squire, might go to vi^ukls when he pleafed. 


With this pcrmilfion, Saiieho adjufted hitnfelf 
as well a8 he coald upon his afs^ and taking 
cm the provifion with which he had ftaffed 
his wallet, he dropped behind his mafter ú 
good way, and kept his jaws a-going as hé 
jogged along, lifting the bottle to his head; 
from time to time, with fo much fatisfafHon» 
that the moft pampered vintner of Málaga mi^hf 
have envied his fitnatl(^. 

While he travelled in this manfier, repeat^ 
ing his agreeable draughts, hd never thought 
of the promife which his máfter had úíádé to 
him, nor confidered it as a toil, but rather aá 
a diVerfion, to go in quell of advéntureé, hovi^ 
dangerous foevef they might bé : in finé, that 
night they pafled under a tuft of trees, from 
one of which Don Q}iixote tore a withered 
branch t6 ferve inftead of a lance ; and fitted 
to it the iron h^ad he had taken from that 
which Was brokeiei : all night long^ the knight 
elofed not aú eye, but mufed upon his lad/ 
IKilcinea, in order to accommodate himfelf 
to What he haid read of thofe errant who had 
pafled many fleeplefs nights in woods and de- 
ferts, entertaining themfelves with the remem* 
Brance of their miftrefies. 

This was not the cafe with Sancho Panza» 
trhofe belly being well repleniíhed, and that 
not with plantain water» made but one nap of 


84 DON Q^U I X O T & 

the whole night, and even then, would noi 
have waked, unlefs his mailer had ' called 
to him, notwithftanding the fun-beams that 
played upon his face, and the finging of the 
birds, which in great numbers, and joyous 
melody, faluted the approach of the new day. 
The firft thing he did when be got up was to 
vifit his bottle, which finding confiderably 
more lank than it was the night before, he 
was grievoufly afflided, becaufe in the road 
that they purfued, he had no hopes of being 
able in a little time to fupply its defe^l^ Don 
Qgixote refufing to breakfaft, becaufe, as we 
have already faid, he regaled himfelf with the 
iavoury remembrance of his miftrefs, they 
purfued their journey towards the pafs, which, 
after three days travelling, they difcovered^ 
** Here, cried Don Qgizote, here, brother San- 
cho Panza, we íhall be able to dip our hands 
up to the elbows in what is called adventure ; 
but take notice, although thou feeft me befet 
with the moft extreme danger, thou muil by 
no means even fo much as lay thy hand upon 
thy fword, with defign to defend me, unleis 
I am aflaulted by vulgar and low-bom antago- 
nifts, in which cafe thou mayeft come to my 
afliftance ; but if they are kn^hts, thou art by 
no means permitted or licenfed, by the laws 
of chivalry, to give me the Icaft fuccour, imtil 
thou thy felf baft received the honour of knight* 


*ON<l^üIXOTB. 85 

hood ♦/* " As for that matter, replied San- 
cho, your worfliip íhall be obeyed to a tittle, 
for I am a very peaceable man, and not at all 
fond of meddling with riots and quarrels. 
True, indeed, in the defence of my own per- 
fon, I Ihall not pay much regard to the faid 
laws, feeing every one that is aggrieved is per- 
mitted to defend himfelf by all the laws of 
God and man/* " I fay nothing to the contra- 
ry, replied Don Qgixote, but in the afiair of 
aflifting me againft knights, thou muft keep thy 
natural impetuofity under the rein." " That 
will I, anfwered Sancho, and keep your ho- 
nour's command as ftridly as I kpep the 
Lord's-day,'* 

While they were engaged in this converfa- 
tion, there appeared before them two Benedic- 
tine monks mounted upon dromedaries, for 
their mules were not much lefs, with their tra- 
velling fpeftacles, and umbrellas ; añer them 
came a coach, accompanied by four or 6ve 
people on horfeback, and two mule^drívers on 
foot. In this carriage, it was añerwards known, 

* Here Don Quixote feems to have been too fcrupalous s for though 
CO iquire was permitted to engage with a kniglit on horfeback, yet they 
were adlowed, and even enjoined^ to afiilV their maftert when they were 
nnhorfed or in danger^ by mounting them on fireíh Aeeda, fupplying 
them with arms, and warding oflf the blows that were aimed at them. 
Davy Gam, at the hattle of Agincourt, loft his life in defending Henry 
V. of England, and St. Severin met witii the fame fete ui waixiing 
off the blows that were aimed at Francis I. of France, in t!^ battle of 
Pavia. 


a Bifcayan U<Jy was travelling to Seville to Jwr 
huiband, who was bound to the Indies with a 
jAch cargo, 

Don Q^ixote no fooner perceived the fryti» 
(who, tho* they travelled the fame roiid, wer^ 
not of her company) than he faid to his fqui^iet 
^* If I am not very much miftaken, thi$ will be 
the moft famous adventure that ever was known $ 
for thofe black apparitions on the road muft 
doubtlefs be enchanters, who are carrying off 
in that coach fome princefs they have ilolen ; 
and there is a necdfity for my exerting my 
jirhole power in redre0ing her wrongs.*' ** Thjus 
will be worfe than the wind-mills, cried San- 
cho ; for the love of God ! fir, confider that 
thefe are 3ei)edi¿line fryars, and thofe who 
are in the caaph c^ be no other than common 
travellers. Mind what I fay, and confider 
what you do, and let not the devil deceive 
you." '* I have told thee already, Sancho» 
replied Don Quixote, that with regard to adven^ 
tures, thou art utterly ignorant : what I fay is 
true, and in a moment thou ihalt be convinced," 

So ikying, he rode forward, and placed 
himfelf in the middle of the highway through 
which the fryars were to pafs ; and whcA he 
thought them near enough to hear what he 
faid, he pronounced in a loud voice, " Mon- 
ilrous and diabolical race ! furrender, this in- 


PON cLUixptrt. Sf¡ 

¿sjft, ijaoíc kigh-bpm pñacieijes, wJbom you 
/carry captivf^s 19 that cpach ; or pnepare (o ns- 
edive iipn^efÜAte de^th, as a juft puniihiuent 
jfor you^ mifdeede." The fryara immediately 
idapped ihoit, aftoniifacd a3 much at the figme 
aa at the difgourfe of Dosx Qgimte : to vhich 
they replied» '^ Sir knight, we a^e neither dia- 
^Ucal not moafiroua, but iojoooeot monks of 
.the order of St. Benedi^, who are going this 
^ay about our own a&sra; Mither do we 
kapw of any princeQca that.aie carried cap- 
tives in that coaeh." *' Thefe faimiog fpcechea, 
bid Von Qiipcpte» Ihall not impofe upon me, 
who know too. wdl what la treacherous pack 
ye are ;" and without waiting fiur any odier 
jseply» he put fpurs to RoUMntc, and couch- 
iilg hia lance, ^tsicked the ütQl fryar with fndi 
iiiry and refoliition, tkit if he had not thrown 
hiptfelf from bia mule, he would have come to 
the ground extremely ilUhaudied, not without 
fome defperate wound, nay, perhaps ftone 
4ead. The fecond monk, who íáw how his 
companion had been treated, clapped fyux» 
to the flanks of his tnifty quile, md flew 
through the field even fwifter than the wind. 

Sancho Panza feeing the fr yar on the ground, 
leaped from his af» with gBcat agility, and be- 
ginning to uncafe him with the utmoft dezte- 
jrity, two of their fervan» cwne up, and aíkcd 
£{>r what reafon he (tripped their oiafter ? The 


88 D o N Q^U I X o T B. 

fquire replied, that the clothes beloi^ed to 
him, as the fpoils that Don Qgixote his lord 
had won in battle ; but the others, who did 
not underftand raillery» nor know any thing of 
fpoils and battles, feeing Don Qjiixote at a 
good diftance, talking with the lady in the 
coach, went to loggerheads with Sancho, whom 
diey foon overthrew, and without leaving one 
hair of his beard, mauled him fo unmercifully, 
that he lay ftretched upon the ground, without 
fenfe or motion. Then, with the utmoft dif- 
patch, the fryar mounted, as pale as a Iheet, 
and almoft frightened to death, and no fooner 
fixind himfelf feated, than he galloped to* 
wards his companion, who tarried at a good 
diftance, to fee the iilue of this ftrange adven- 
ture. However, being joined again, without 
waiting for the conclufion of it, they purfued 
their journey, making as many crofles as if the 
devil had been at their backs. 

Don Qjuzote, iñ the mean time, as we have 
already obfervcd, was engaged in converfatioa 
with the lady in the coach, to whom he ex- 
prefled himfelf in this manner: "Beautiful 
lady, you may now difpofe of your own perfon 
according to your pleafure ; for the pride of 
your raviihers lies level with the ground, be- 
ing overthrown by this my invincible arm; 
and that you may be at no difficulty in under- 
ftanding the name qf your deliverer, know 


DON qjJ I X o T B. 80 

that I am Don Qgizote de la Manclia, knight* 
errant, adventurer and captive of the unpa- 
ralleled and beautüiil Donna Dulcinea del To- 
bofo : and the only acknowledgment I ei:ped 
for the benefit you have received, is, that you 
Wxxm to that place,, and prefennng yourfelf 
before my miftrefs, tell her what I have per- 
formed in behalf of your liberty.'* This 
whole addrefs of the knight was overheard 
by a 3ifcayan fquire, who accompanied the 
coach, and ivho, feeing that he would not al- 
low the carriage to pafs forward, but infifted 
upon their immediate returning to Tobofo, 
rode up to Don Qgizote, and laying hold of 
his lance, fpoke to him thus, ipi bad Caftilian, 
and worfe Bifcayan : ^' Get thee gone, cava- 
lier, go to the devilj I zay j vor, by the God 
that made her, if thou wilt not let the coach 
alone, che will kill thee dead, as zure as che 
was a Bifcayan." The knight, underftand- 
ing very well what he faid, replied with great 
compofure; ^^If thou waft a gentleman, as 
thou art not, I would chaftife thy infolence 
and raflmefs, . wretched creamre." ^^ I not a 
gendeman ! replied the Bifcayan in great cho- 
ler; by God in heaven! thou lieft, as I am. 
a chriftian : if thou wilt throw away thy 
lance, and draw thy fword, che will foon 
{see which be the better man^. Bifcayan by 

* The literal meaning of. the Spanifli is» Thou ihalt foon fee who 
is to carry the cat to the water ; or rather» in the corrupted Bifcayan 
phrafe> The water how foon thou wilt fee, that thou carrieft to the cat. 


land, gentleman by .zea» gentkmanby devil; 
and thou lieft, look ye, in thy throat, if tlnm 
zaydft otherwiie." ** Thou ihalt fee that pre^ 
fendy , 9 Agragis faid/' replied Don Qgixote, 
fv^ho, throwing hia lance upon the ground, un» 
iheathing his fword, and bracing on ht6 tari- 
get, attacked the Bifcayan with full refolution 
to put him to death** 

His antagenift, who law him approach, fain 
would have alighted from his mule (which, 
being one of the worfl; that ever was let out 
for hire, could not much be depended upon) ; 
but be fcarce had time to draw his fword; 
however, being luckily near the coach, he 
hatched out of it a cuihion, which ferved 
liim as a Ihield, and then they flew upon each 
ether as two mortal enemies. The reft of the 
people who were preient endeavoured, but in 
vain, to appeafe them ; £>r the Bifcayan fwore 
in his uncouth expreifions, that if they did 
not leave him to fight the battle, he would 
certainly murder his mifireís, and every body 
who fliould pretend to oppoie it. The lady in 
the coach, furprifed and frightened at what 
ihe iaw, ordered the coachman to drive a lit- 
tle out of the road, to a place from whence 

* This beha^our of Don Qnixote was tJ»€ÚY conformable to the 
roles of chiralry ; which, though tfaef hiodeied a knight from fight- 
ing in armour with a iquire, did not prevent him from giving iatislac- 
tion to an inferior, at fword and target ; and every fdjuire who was 
aggrieved had a right to demand it 


9 0V ftyiXQXM, ^i 

{he copld £ee at a difiance this rigorous ecu 
gageoient» In the courie of which , the Bif« 
cajran beilowed fuch a huge ilroke upon the 
ihoulder of Don Qjuxote, that if it had not 
been for the defence of his buckler, he would 
baiie been cleft down to his girdle. The 
kniglit feeling the fliock of fuch an uncon^ 
jcioQj^Ie blow, exclaimed aloud: **0 DulcU 
nea! lady of my foul, thou rofe of beauty, 
fuccour thy knight, who, ¿>r the üás&J^an 
of thy exceflive goodnefs, is now involved in 
this dreadful emergency." To pronounce 
theic words, to raiie his fword, to íeaire him^ 
Iclf with his target, and attack the Bifcay^m^ 
was the wx>rk of one inilant ; for be was de* 
termined to rifk his all upon a fin^ ftroko, 
His antagouift, who faw him advance, and by 
this time was convinced nf his courage by his 
refolution, detern[iined to follow bis example ; 
imd covering himlclf with his cuihion, waited 
bis allault, without being able to turn bis mule 
either on one iide or the other : £>r (he was 
already lb jaded, and fo litde accuftopied to 
áich p^ftime, that ihe would not move one ftep 
out of the way. 

Don G^ixote then, as we have faid, advanced 
againft the cautious Bifcayan, his fword lifted 
up with an intention to cleave him through the 
middle : the Bifcayan waited his attack in the 
fame pofture, being fliielded with his cuíhion. 


pa D o H QJS I X o T & 

The friglitened by-fiandérs flood aloof, intent 
upon the fuccefs of thofe mighty ilrokes that 
threatened each of the combatants; and the 
lady in the coach, with the reft of her attend* 
ants, put up a thoufand prayers to heaven, 
and vowed an offering to every image and 
houfe of devotion in Spain, provided God 
would deliver the fquire and them from the 
imminent danger in which they were : but the 
misfortune is, that in this very critical in- 
ftant, the author of the hiftory has left this 
battle in fufpence, excufing himfelf, that he 
could find no other accoimt of Don Qgixote's 
exploits, but what has already been related. 
True it is, that the fecoQd author of this work 
could not believe that fuch a ciurious hiftory 
was configned to oblivion; nor, that there 
could be fuch a fcarcity of curious virtoofi in 
La Mancha, but that fome papers relating to 
this famous knight ihould be foi^nd in their 
archives or cabinets : and therefore, polleiled 
of this opinion, he did not defpair of finding 
the oonclufion of this delightful hiftory, which 
indeed he very providentially lighted upon, in 
the manner which will be related in the fe* 
cond book, 





ÜM 


■Ti ! 


THE 


ATCHIEVEMENTS 


OF THE SAGE AND FALUiir KNtOBT 


DON CLU I X o T E 


DE LA MANCHA. 


■.éJm 


PARÍ L BOOK IL 

C'H A P. L 

The cmcluJUn and confequence of the terriUe combat 
■ between the gallant Bifcayan^ and the valiant inight 
of La Mancha. 

In the firft book of this hiftory we left the va- 
liant Bifcay an and renowned Don Qiüxote with 
their gleaming fwords brandiflied aloft, about to 
difcharge two fuch fiirious ftrokes, as muft (if 
they had cut flieer) have cleft them both afunder 
from top to toe, like a couple of pomegranates; 
and in this dubious and critical conjun£lure^ 
the delicious hiftory abrupdy breaks off, with- 
out our being informed by the author, where 
or how that which is wanting may be found. 


/ 


A^ DON a.U I X o T £. 

I was not a little concerned' at this dilap- 
pointment; for the pleafure I enjoyed in the 
little I had read, wft changed into ^^ifguft, 
when I refle¿led on the fmall profpe¿l I had 
of finding the greater patt of this relifhing fio- 
ry, which, in my opinion, was loft : and yet 
it feemed imponible and contrary to every 
laudable cuftom, that fuch an excellent knight 
fliould be a&providf d with fome fago to ondcp- 
take the hiilory of his unheard-of exploits ; a 
convenience which non^ of thofe knights-er- 
rant who went in queft of adventures ever 
wanted, each of them having been accommo- 
dated with one or two necromaiicei^, on pur- 
pofe to record, not only his atchievements, 
but even his moft hidden thoughts and amufe- 
ments. Surely then fuch a complete errant 
could not be fo unlucky as to want that, which 
even Pktil, and other fuch fecond*r^e war- 
riors, enjoyed. 

I could not therefore prevail upóá n!iyfelf to 
beliévtg that' fuch a fpirited hiftory was left fo 
hmr and unfiniihed, but laid the whole blame 
on the malignity of time, which waftet and 
devours all things, and by which, no doabti 
this was either confumed or concealed : on 
the other hand, I confidered, that as fome 
books had been found in his library, fo mo- 
dem as the Undeceptions of Jeaioufy, toge- 
ther with die Nymphs and Sheph^s of He- 


ntres; bis owa hiftory muft alfo be of a mo- 
dem date, and the cnrcumftances, though not 
committed to writing, ftill freih in the me- 
mory of his neighboors and townfmen. This 
confideration perplexed and inflamed me with 
the defire of knowing the troe and genuine 
accoont of the life and wonderful exploits of 
oor Spaniih worthy Don Quixote de la Man- 
cha, the inn and mirror of Manchegan chi* 
Yalry, the firft who, in this our age, and thefe 
degenerate times, undertook the toil and ex- 
erciie of errantry and arms, to redrefs griev- 
ances, fappoñ the widow, and proteo thofe 
damfels who ftroU about with whip and pal- 
frey, from hill to hill, and from dale to dale, 
on the ilitngth of their virginity alone : for in 
ames paft, unlefs fome libidinous clown, with 
hatchet and morrión, or monftrous giant, forc- 
ed her to his brutal wiíhes, a damfel might 
have lived fourfcore years^ vñthout ever lying 
under any other cover than that of heaven, 
and then gone to her grave as good a maiden 
as the mother that bore her. I fay, therefore, 
diat for thefe and many other confiderations^ 
our gallant Don io^ixote merits inceíTant and 
immortal praife ; and even I myfelf may claim 
fome ihate, for my labour and diligence in 
finding the conelufion of this agreeable hifto- 
ry ; though I am well aware, that if I had not 
been £ivoured by formne, chance, or provi- 
dence, the world would have been derived 


^6 DON Q^UIXOTS. 

of that pleafure and fatisfa¿lioii which the at* 
tentive reader may enjoy for an hour or two, 
in perufing what follows : the manner of my 
finding ir I will now recount. 

While I was walking one day on the ex» 
change of Toledo, a boy coming up to a certain 
mercer, offered to fell him a bundle of old pa« 
pers he had in his hand : now, as I have always 
a ñrong propenfity to read even thofe fcraps 
that fometimes fly about the ftreets, I was led, 
by this my natural curiofity, to mm over fome 
of the leaves : I found them written in Arabic, 
which not being able to read, though I knew 
the chara£ters, I looked about for fome Portu* 
guefe Moor who ihould underftand it; and 
indeed, though the language had been both 
more elegant and ancient, I might eaiily have 
found an interpreter. In ihort, I lighted upon 
one, to whom exprefling my defire, anid put- 
ting the pamphlet into his hands, he opened 
it in the middle, and after having read a few 
lines, began to laugh ; when I aíked the caufe 
of his laughter, he faid it was occafioned by 
a whimfical annotation in the margin of the 
book* I begged he would tell me what it was, 
and he anfwered, ftill laughing, "What I 
find written in the margin, is to this purpofe : 
This fame Dulcinea, fo often mentioned in the 
hiftory, * is faid to have had the beft hand at 
faláng pork of any woman in La Mancha." 


Not a little furprifed at hearing Dulcinea 
del Tobofo mentioned, I immediately conjee* 
tmed that the bundle a¿hiaUy contained the 
hiftory of Don Qgizote t poileiled with this 
notion, I bade him, with great eagemefs, read 
the title-page, which having perufed, he tranC* 
lated it extempore from Arabic to Spaniih, in 
thefe words : ^^ The hiftory of Don Qgixote 
de la Mancha, written by Cid Hamet Benen«» 
geli, an Arabian author/' No fmall difcre*^ 
tion was requifite to düTemble the latisfa¿ticHi 
I felt, when my ears were faluted with the 
title of theié papers, which, fnatching from 
the mercer, I immediately bought in the lump 
for half a rial ; though, if the owner had been 
cunning enough to difcover my eagemefs to 
poflefs them, he might have laid his account 
with getting twelve times the lum by the 
bargain* 

I then retired with my Moor through the 
cloyiters of the cathedral, and defired him 
to tranilate all thofe papers that related to 
Don Qjiixote into the Caftilian tongue, without 
addition or diminution, offering to pay any 
thing he fhould charge &r his labour : his de« 
mand was limited to two quarters of raifins^ 
and as many buihels of wheat, for which he 
promifed to tranilate them with great care^ 
concifenefs, and fidelity : but I, the more to 
fiicilitate the bufinefs^ without paning with 

VoL.L H 


a8 D o M <^U I X o T B. 

fuch á rich prize, conduéled him to my own 
lioufe, where> in little lefs than fix weeks, he 
tranflated the whole, in the fame maimer as 
ihall here be related. 

In the firft flieet was painted to the life the 
battle betwixt Don Q]áxote and the Bifcayan, 
who were reprefemed in the fame pofture as 
the hiftoiy has already defcribed, their fwords 
brandiihed aloft, one of the antagoñifts cover- 
ed with his ihield, the other with his cuihion, 
and the Bifcayan's mnle fo naturally fet forth, 
that you might have known her to have been 
an hireling, at the diftance of a bow-ihot 
Under the feet of her rider was a label, con- 
taining thefe words, Don Sancho de Azpetia^ 
which was doubtlefs his name ; and beneath 
our knight was another, with the tkle of Dob 
Qgixote. Rozinante was moil wonderfully 
delineated, fo long and raw-boned, fo lank 
and meagre, fo íhaip in the back, and con- 
fumptíve, that one might eafily perceive, with 
what propriety and penetration the name of 
Rozinante had been beftowed upon him. Hard 
by the fteed was Sancho Panza, holding his 
afs by the halter, at whofe feet was a third la- 
bel, infcribed Sancho Zancas, who, in the 
pi&ure, was reprefented as a perfon of a fliort 
nature, «fwag belly, and long fpindle-ihanks : 
^r this reafon he ought to be called indifcri^ 


DONQ^UIXOTS. p9 

minately by the named of * Panza and Zancas ; 
for by both thefe firnames is he fometimes 
mentioned in hiftory. 

There were divers other minute circumr 
ftances to be obferved, but all of them of fmalL 
importance and concern to the truth of the 
hiftory, though indeed nothing that is true can. 
be impertinent : however, if any obje¿lion can 
be ftarted to the. truth of this, it can be no 
other, but that the author was a^ Arabian, of 
a nation but too much addi¿led to falfehdod, 
though, as they are at prefent our enemies, it 
may be fuppofed, that he has rather failed than 
exceeded in the reprefentation of our hero's 
exploits: for, in my opinion, when he had 
frequently opportunities and calls to exercife 
his pen in the praife of fuch an illuftrioua 
knight, he feems to be induftrioufly filent on 
the fubjed ; a circumftance very little to his 
commendation, for all hiftorians ought to be 
pim^al, candid, and difpaiiionate, that nei* 
ther intereft, rancour, fear, or aife&ion, may 
miflead them from the road of truth, whofe 
mother is hiftory, that rival of time, that re-» 
pofitory of great a&ions, witnefs of the paft, 
example and pattern of the prefent, and oracle 
of future ages. In this, I know, will be found 
whatfoever can be expe&ed in the . moft plea« 

' * Panxa, lA CaitUian, fignifies Psrandi; and Zancas, Sfindl** 
ftaaks. 


100 1^011 Q^UIZOTl. 

(wat performance ; and if any thing feemtf im» 
perfed, I affirm it muft be owing to the fimit 
of the infidel its author, rather tljan to any 
fidlure of the fubje¿l itfelf > in fliort, the fe-^ 
cond book in the tránílatíon begms thut: 

The flaming fwords of the two valiant and 
incenfed combatants, brandiihed in the air, 
leemed to threaten heaven, earth, and hell^ 
fiich wa» the rage and refolutibn of thofe that 
wielded them : but the firft blow was difcharg<« 
cd by the choleric Bifcayan, who ftruck with 
fiich force and fury, that if the blade had not 
turned by the way, that fingk ftroke would 
have been fufficient to have put an end to this 
dreadful confii¿l, and all the other adventure» 
of our knight; but his good genius, which 
preferved him for mightier things, turned the 
fword of his antagonift afide, fo that though 
it fell upon his left ihoulder, it did no other 
damage than difarm that whole fide, flicing oii^ 
in its paiTage, the greateft part of his helme^ 
with half of his ear, which fell to the ground 
with hideous ruin, leaving him in a very un« 
comfortable fituation. Good heavens ! where 
is the man who can worthily exprefs the rage 
and indignatiQn which entered into the heart 
of our Manchegan, when he faw himfelf 
handled* in this manner? I ihall only fay; 
his fury was fuch^ that raifing hipifelf again 
in his ilirrups, and grafping his fword with 


90« qj3 1 X or % lor 

both handa> he difcharged it fo full upou the 
callii<Mi and head of the Bifcayan, which it 
but ill defended, that, aft if a moTintain had 
fijlen upon him, he began to fpoat blood from 
his noftrils, mouth, and ears, and feemed rea* 
áy to &11 from hia mule ; which would cer« 
tainly have been the cafe, if he had not laid 
hold of die mane ; yet, notwithftanding thia 
«flfort» his feet falling out of the ilirrups, and 
hift arms quitting their hold, the mule, which 
was frightened at the terrible ftroke, began to 
run acroia the field, and, after a few plqnges^ 
came with her mafter to the groimd* Don 
Qgjbrote, .who fat obferving him with great 
tranquillity, no fooner perceived him fail, than 
leaping from his horfe, he ran up to him with 
great agilit/, and fettmg the point of his fword 
to his throat, bade him furrender on pain of 
having his head cut o£ The Bifcayan was 
fo confounded by the blow and &11 he had 
fuftained, that he could not ánfwer one fylia« 
ble ; and as Don Qjiixote was blinded by his 
rage, he would have fared very ill, if the la» 
dies of the coach, who had hitherto, in great 
conftemation, been fpe¿Utors of the batde, 
had not run to the place where he was, and re-> 
quefted, with the moft fervent intreades, that 
his worihip would grant them the £ivoUr to 
fpare the life of their fquire» 

To this petition, the knight replied, with 
great ftatelinefs and gravity, '' AiTuredly, moít 


101 DON O^ÜIXOTE. 

beautiful ladies, I am very ready to do wliat 
you defire, but it ihall be upon condition and 
provifo, that this cavalier promife to go fttait 
to Tobofo, and prefent himfelf, in my be* 
half, be£3re the unparalleled Donna Dulcinea, 
that ihe may ufe him according to her good 
pleafure/' The timorous and difconfolate la- 
dies, Mdthout entering into the detail of what 
Don Qgixote defired, or enquiring who this 
Dulcinea was, promifed that the fquire ihould 
obey the knight's commands in every thii^. 
** Upon the faith of your word, then, &id Doa 
Qgixote, I will do him no farther damage, 
though he has richly deferved it at my hand,'* 


CHAP. n. 

Of wbfti fartber bappimd bitwau' Don ^ixcté and 

the Bifcajan. 

All this time Sancho Pan^, having got up, 
though very roi^hly handled by the lacquies 
of the fryars, ftood very attentively beholding 
the batde of his mailer Don Qiiixote, and put 
up ejaculatory petitions to heaven, that it would 
pleafe to grant him the vi^ory, and that he 
might gain by it fome iiland, of which he him* 
felf might be made governor, in ccmfequence 


DON Q^U I X O T S< J03 

of the knight's promife. Seeing therefore the 
battle ended, and his mailer returning to mount 
Rozinante, he went to hold his ftirrup, add 
ere he got up, fell on his knees before him ; 
then laying hold of his hand, and kii&ng it, 
pronounced with great fervency, "Sir Don 
Qgixote, will your worfliip be pleafed to be- 
ftow on me .the government of that illand 
which you have won in this dreadful combat ; 
for let it be ever fo great, I find I have ftrength 
enough to govern it, as well as any he who 
governs an ifland in this world/' To this re* 
quefl Don Qiiixote replied ; " You mufl know, 
brother Sancho, that fuch as thefe are not ad- 
ventures of iilands, but frays that happen in 
bye-roads, in which there is nothing to be got 
but a broken head, with the lofs of an ear : 
have a little patience, and we ihall meet with 
adventures, which will enable me to make you 
not only a governor, but fomething more." 
Sancho made him many hearty acknowledg- 
ments for his promife, then kiffing his hand 
again, and his coat of mail, helped him to 
mount Rozinante ; and he himfelf getting up- 
on his afs, followed his mailer, who* fet off at 
a round pace ; and, without bidding adieu, or 
fpeáking one fyllable to thofe in the coach, en- 
tered a wood that was in the neighbourhood. 

Sancho followed hiqi as hard as his beaft 
would trot ; but Rozinante exerted fuch fpeed. 


104 POV <l,UIXOTI« 

that feeing himfelf left behind» he was obliged 
to call to his mailer to wait for him. The 
knight complied with his requeft, and checked 
his horfe until he was overtaken by his weary 
f<qpiire, who, when he approached him, *' Sir, 
faid he» methinks it would be the wifeft courfe 
for us to retreat to fome church ; for as he with 
who^ you fov^ht remains but in a forry condi*» 
tion, 'tis odds but they inform the * holy bro» 
therhood of the affair» and have us apprehend^* 
fd ; and verily» if they do» before we get out 
of priiw we may chance to fweat for it," 
^' Peace» Sancho» faid Don Qgixote» wher« 
didft thou ever fee or hear» that a knight-er- 
rant was broij^ht to juftice for the greateft ho^ 
micides he had committed }" ^' I know nothing 
of your hpney-feeds» anfwered Sancho» nor in 
my life did I ever fee one of t;hem : this only 
I know» that the holy brotherhood commonly 
looks after thole who quarrel and %ht up and 
down the country } and as to the other affiuTi 
I have no buAnefs to intermeddle in it'' 

'^ Set your heart at eafe then» friend Sancho^ 
replied Don Qgixote» for I will deliver yo^ 
from the bands of the Philiftines» much more 
from the clutches of the brotherhood i . but tell 
me» on thy life» haft thou ever feen a more va-> 

• SaoU Hermandad was a brotherhood or ibciety inílítutad m 
Spun in times of ccmiuixQii» to foppr^ft robber^; ^d render Cri« 


I 


pon QJJIXOTS* 1P5 

liant knight than me in an)r country of the 
known world ? Haft thou ever read in ftory of 
^y other who poflelTea^ or has pofiefled, more 
courage in attacking, more breath in prefenr* 
ipg» more de^^rity in wounding, and more 
agility in overthrowing his antagonift ?" ^^ The 
(rath is, anfwered Sancho, I never read a hif«« 
tory fince I was bom ; for indeed I can neither 
read nor write ; but what I will make bold to 
wager upon ia^ that a more daring mafter than 
our worihip I never ferved in the days of my 
ife ; and I wiih to God, that your courage may 
tiot meet with that reward I have already men* 
tionedv What I b^ of your worihip at pre« 
fent is, that you would allow me to drefa that 
ear, which bleeds very much, for I have got 
fome lint^ and a little white ointment in my 
wallet." '' Thefe would have been altogether 
needlefs, ju^fwered the knight, if I had re<# 
piembered to make a phial of (he baliam of 
Fier-a*bFas, one fingle drop of which would 
iave abundance of time and pronble/' ^< Wha( 
fort of a phial and balfam is that ?'' faid San^ 
fhq Panza* '^ It is a baliam, replied Don Qiiix** 
pte, the receipt of which I retain in my me* 
fnory, and he that pofTefles the valuable com*, 
pofition needs be in no fear of death, nor think 
of perilhing by any wound whatfoever ; and 
therefore, when I fliall have made it, and de-* 
livered it into thy keeping, thou haft no more 
t9 do, when thou feeft me in any combat cut 


J06 PON Q^ÜIXOTE. 

through the middle, a circumftance that very 
often happens, but to fnatch up that part of 
the body which falls to the ground, and, be* 
fore the blood fliall congeal, fet it upon the 
other half that remains in the faddle, taking 
care to join them with the utmoft nicety and 
€xa¿lnefs : then, making me fwallow a couple 
of draughts of the aforefaid balfam, thou wilt 
fee me, in a twinkling, as whole apd as foun4 
as an apple/' 

^^ If that be the cafe, fáid Sancho Panza, I 
henceforth renounce the government of that 
iiland you promifed me, and defire no other 
reward for piy long and faithful fervice, but 
that your woríkip will give me the receipt of 
, that fame mofl extraordinary liquor ; for I 
imagine, that it will fell for two rials an ounce 
at leaft, and that will be fufficient to make me 
fpend the reft of my days in credit and cafe : 
but it will be neccilary to know, if the com- 
pofirion be coftly.'* ** I can make a gallon of 
it for lefs than three rials," replied the knight. 
*^ Sinner that I am ! cried Sancho, what hin- 
ders your worihip from teaching me to make 
it this moment ?'* ** Hold thy tongue, friend; 
faid the knight, I intend to teach thee greater 
fecrets, and beftow upon thee more confidera* 
ble rewards than that ; but, in the mean time, 
let us drefs my ear, which pain» me more than 
I could wilh." 


DON QJ} I X O T E. J07 

The Iquire accordingly took out his lint and 
ointment ; but when his niafter found that hÍ9 
helmet was quite demoliihed, he had almoft 
run ftark mad : he laid his hand upon his 
fword, and lifting up his hands to heaven, 
pronounced aloud, ." I fwear by the Creator 
of all things, and by all that is written in the 
four holy evangelifts ! to lead the life which 
the great marquis of Mantua led, when he 
fwore to revenge the death of his coufin VaU 
dovinos ; neither to eat food upon a table, nor 
enjoy his wife, with many other things, which^ 
though I do not remember, I here coniider as 
exprefled, until I ihall have taken ñillven* 
geance upon him who has done me this in* 
jury*/' Sancho hearing this invocation, " Sir 
Don Quixote, faid he, I hope your worihip will 
confider, that if the knight ihall accompliih 
what he was ordered to do ; namely, to pre* 
fent himfelf before my lady Dulcinea del To« 
bofo, he will have done his duty, and certainly 
deferves no other puniihment, unlefs he com* 
mits a new crime," " Thou haft fpoke very 

* thefe ridiculous oaúis or vows are not confined to romances. 
Philip the good, doke of Burgundy, at a pubhc banquet, vowed to 
God, the holy virgin, the peacock, and the ladies, that he would 
declare war againft the infidels : and a great number of perfons who 
were prefent, lifted themfelves under the fame vow, and incurred 
voluntary penance until it ihoold be aooompliihed. Some fwore thejr 
would never lie upon a bed, otíiers renounced the ufe of a table>« 
doth, a third fet obliged themfelves to faft one particular day in tho 
week, a fourth went without one particular piece of armour, a fifth 
wore his armour night and day, and many confined themfelves Xfí 
Airts of fiwk-cloch and haic 


^08 D o H «JU I X T S. 

much to the purpofe, and hit the xuil oa the 
head, replied Don Qgbcote ; therefore I annul 
my osuh, fo far as it regards my revenge ; but 
I make and confirm it anew, to lead the life I 
have mentioned, until fuch time as I can take 
by force as good a helmet as this from fomc 
other knight ; and thou mttft not think, San« 
cbo, that I am now making a fmoke of ftraw ; 
for I know very well whom I imipite in this 
affair ; the fame thing having literally happen* 
cd about the helmet of Mambrino, which coft 
Sacripante fo <)ear *•** 

*' Sir, fir, replied Sancho» with feme heai^ 
I wiih your worihip .would fend to the devil 
all fuch oaths, which are fo mifchievous to the 
health, and prejudicial to the confcience : for» 
tell me now, if we ihould not find in many 
days a man armed with a helmet^ what muft 
we do ? Muft We perform this vow» in fpite of 
all the rubs and inconveniencies in the way { 
fuch as to lie in one's cloaths, and not to ileep 
in an inhabited place, with a thouland other 

* Geoflroi de lUo^i lumof bten íiJQrfd by tbe cooat d« la 
Sfárche^ fwort by the fiunti that he would wear his buikin like a 
woRian^ and never fiiffer^himfelf Co be fluved, ia the manner of Chi» 
ralry, until he íhoold be revenged. This oath he rg-upuloofly ob< 
fervedyunlii he íáw hÍ8 adverfuy, with his wife and children» l^neel- 
ing in diftrdfl before (he king, and imploring his forgivene6; then 
he called for a íüdo!, adjuAed his bofldn, and was ihaved in prefence 
of his majefty and all the oonrt. 

The knight* s forehead was commonly flxaved, that in cafe he Ihoold 
lofe his helmet in combat» his antagonift flNnld have no hold by 
which he might bp pulled off his horie. 


penances contained in the oath of that old 
mad marquis of Mantua, which your woríhip 
now wants to renew ? Pray, fir, confider that 
there are no armed people in thefe roads, none 
but carriers and carters, who, far from wear- 
ing hehnets themfelves, perhaps never beard 
of any fuch thing during the whole courfe of 
their liyes/^ " There thou art egregioufly mit 
taken, replied Don Qjiizote, for, before we 
are two hours in thefe crofs-ways, we ihall fee 
armed men more numerous than thofe that 
came to Albraca, in order to win Angelica the 
Fair." " On then, and be it fo, faid Sancho, 
and pray God we may iucceed, and that the 
time may come when we ihall gain that ifland 
which has coft me fo dear, and then I care 
not how foon I die/' *• I have already ad- 
vifed thee^ Sancho, faid the Icnight, to give 
thyfelf no trouble about that affair ; for, íhould 
we be diiappointed in the expectation of an 
ifland, there is the kingdom of Denmark, or 
that of Sobrediza, which will fiiit thee as well 
as ever a ring fitted a finger, and ought to give 
thee more joy, becaufe it is fituated on terra 
firma ; but let us leave thefe things to the de- 
termination of time ; and fee if thou haft got 
any thing in thy wallet ; for we muft go prfe- 
fently in queft of fome caftle, where we may 
procure a night's lodging, and ingredients to 
make that fame balfam I mentioned ; for, I 
vow to God» my ear gives me infinite pain/' 


no DON q^UIXOTB. 

'' I have got here in my bags^ faid Sancho, 
an onion, a (lice of cheefe, and a few crafts of 
bread ; but thefe are eatables which do not fuit 
the palate of fuch a valiant knight-errant as 
your worihip/' '^ How little you undeiihmd 
of the matter !'^ anfwered Don Q(ibcote. Thou 
muft know, Sancho, that it is for the honour 
of knights-errant, to abftain whole months to- 
gether from food, and when they do eat, to 
be contented with what is next at hand ; this 
thou wouldft not have been ignorant of, hadft 
thou read fo many hiftories as I have perufed, 
in which, numerous as they are, I have never 
found any account of knights-errant eating, 
except occafionally, at fome fumpmous ban- 
quet made oq purpofe for them ; at other times> 
living upon air ; and though it muft be taken 
for granted, that they could not altc^ether live 
without eating, or complying with the other 
necefiities of nature, being in eStSt men as we 
are ; yet we are likewife to confider, that as 
the greateft part of their lives was fpent in tra- 
velling through woods and deferts, without 
any cook or caterer, their ordinary diet was 
no other than fuch ruftic food as thou haft 
now got for our prefent occaiions * : therefore, 

* We road in Poroeforeft, dut thera were flat ftooss placed at oer» 
tain diAances in uninhabited parts of the country» for the ufe of 
knights-errant, who having killed a roe-bock^ prefled the blood 
out of it upon one of thefe tables, by the help of another ímooch fliooe, 
and then ate it with fome ialtand fpices, which they carried along 
with them for that purpofe. This diet is called in die French roroan- 
ces, << Chevnnx dc j^nSSSf noorrioire des Heraux." 


BON Q^UI X O T & lit 

friend Sancho, ¿ive thyfelf no uneafinefs, be- 
caufe thou haft got nothing to gratify the pa- 
late, nor feek to unhinge or alter the conftim • 
tion of things.** " I beg your worlhip's par- 
don, faid Sancho, for as I can neither read nor 
write, as I have already obferved, I may have 
miftaken the rules of your knightly profeiBon ; 
bat, from henceforward, I will ftore my bud- 
get with all forts of dry fruits for your wor- 
ihipi who are a knight ; and for niyfelf, who 
am none, I will provide other more volatUe 
and fubftantial foodf-" " I do not fay, San- 
cho, that knights-errant are obliged to eat no- 
thing except thefe fruits, but only that their 
moft ordinary fuftenance is compofed of them 
and fome certain herbs, which they know how 
to gather in the fields ; a fpecies of knowledge 
which I myfelf am no ftranger to.'* •* Surely, 
anfwered Sancho, it is a great comfort to know 
thofe fame herbs ; for it comes into my head, 
we ihall one day or another have occafion to 
make ufe of the knowledge ;" and taking out 
the contents of his wallet, they eat together 
wit!) great harmony and fatisfadion ; but, being 
defirous of finding fome place for their night's 
lodging, they finiihed their humble repaft in a 
hurry, and mounting their beafts, put on at a 
good rate, in order to reach fome village be- 

-f PolatUes In the original, fignifies any things that fly ; and there- 
fivre Sancho may be fiippofed to mean, be would proTide himfUf with 
^une or poultry : but the blunder which we have made Jiim commit^ 
iecms to be more in chara^r. 


•^ 


tlZ DOM Q^UXXOTI. 

fore it ihould be dark : but tbe hope of gratt* 
fying that defire failed them with day-light» 
juft when they haj^ened to be near a goat* 
herd's hut, in which they refolved to pafs the 
night ; and in the lame propordon that Sancho 
was difgufted at not being able to reach fome 
village, his mafter was rejoiced at an oppor- 
tunity of fleeping under the cope of heaven, 
becaufe he looked upon every occafion of this 
kind as an z& of poflefiion, that ftrengthened 
the proof of his knight-errantryé 


saef 


CHAP. HL 


ifuJ 


0/ what happened to Don ^ixete^ while be rernah 

with the goat^herds. 

He received a very hearty welcome from the 
goat-herds» and Sancho having, as well as hd 
could, accommodated Rozinante and his zS^ 
was attraAed by the odour that ifiiied from 
ibmepieees of goat's fieih that were boiling in a 
kettle ; but though he longed very much, at that 
inftant, to lee if it was tíme to trans&r them 
from the kettle to the belly, he checked his 
curiofity, becaufe the landlord took them from 
the fire, and fpreadmg fome íheep-íkins upon 
the ground, fet out their ruftic table without 


lofs pf time ; inviting their two guefts to á 
íhare of their mefs, with many expreffions of 
good-will and hofpitality. Then thofe who 
belonged to the cot, being fix in number, feat- 
ed themfelves round the ikins, having firft, with 
their booriih ceremony, defired Don Qjiixote 
to fit down on a trough, which they had over- 
turned for that purpofe. 

The knight accepted their offer, and San- 
cho remained ftanding, to adminifier the cup, 
which was made of horn : but his mafter per- 
ceiving him in this attimde, ''That thou may^ft 
fee, Sancho, faid he, the benefit which is con- 
centered in knight-errantry ; and how near all 
thofe who exercife themfelves in any fort of 
mintftry belonging to it are to preferment and 
cfteem of the world, I defire thee to fit down 
here by my fide, in company with thcfe wor- 
thy people; and that thou may 'ft be. on an 
equal footing with me, thy natural lord and 
mafter, eating in the fame difti, and drinking 
oot of the fame cup that X ufe : for what is faid 
of love may be obferved of knight-errantry, 
that it puts all things upon a level.'' 

'' I give you a thoufand thanks, faid San- 
cho ; but I muft tell your woríhip that, pro- 
vided I have plenty, I can eat as much, nay 
itioiie to my fatisfa¿lion, ftanding on my legs, 
and in my own company, than if I was to fit 

Vol, L I 


114 ^^^ OJO I XOTB. 

by tl).e fide of au emperor: a&d, if all tUb 
truth mud be told, I had much rather dine hy 
myfelf ia a corner, though it flxould be upon 
a bit of bread and an onion, without all your 
niceties and ceremonies than eat turkey-cocks 
at another man's table, where I am obliged to 
chew foftly, to drink fparingly, to wipe my 
mouth eveiy minute, to abilain from fneezing 
or coughing, though I ihould be never fo much 
inclined to either, and from a great many 
other things, which I can freely do when alone : 
therefore, fir mailer of mine, I hope thefe ho- 
nours which your worihip would put upon me, 
as being the fervant and abettor of knight-er- 
rantry, which to be fure I am, while I remain 
in quality of your fquire, may be converted into 
other things of more eafe and advantage to me, 
than thofe which, though I hold them as re- 
ceived in fiill, I renounce from henceforth for 
ever, amen." '^ Thou muft neverthelefs fit 
thee down, faid his mafter; for him that is 
humble Ood will exalt;" and, feizing him by 
the arm, he pulled him down to the feat oa 
which he himfelf fat. 

* 

The goat-herds, who underílood not a word 
of all this jargon of fquire and knights-errant, 
did nothing but eat in filence, and gaze upon 
their guefts, who, with keen appetite, and in^ 
finite rcliih, folaced their ilomachs, by fwal- 
lowing pieces as large as their fiifts. This 


DON QJÜ I X O T S. i 15 

fervice of meat being finiihed, they fpread 
upon their ikins great quantities of acorns^ 
and half a cheefe, harder than plafter of Pa-* 
ris : all this time the horn was not idle, bat 
went round (o faft, fometimes full, fbmetimes 
emptyj like the buckets of a well, that they 
foon voided one of the two ikins of wine that 
hung in view. 

Don Gigixote, having latlsfied his appetite, 
took up a handfiil of the acorns, and after 
looking at them attentively, delivered himfelf 
to this purpofe ; *' Happy age, and happy days 
were thofe, tp which the ancients gave the 
name of golden ; -not that gold, which in thefe 
our iron-times is fo much efteemed, was to be 
acquired without trouble in that fortunate pe- 
riod ; but becaufe people then were ignorant of 
thofe two words mine and thine : in that fa- 
cred age, all things were in common ; no man 
was necefiitated, in fearch of his daily food, 
to undergo any other trouble than that of 
reaching out his hand, and receiving it from 
the fturdy oak, that liberally invited him to 
pull his fweet and falutary fruit. The limpid 
fountains and murmuring rills afforded him 
their favoury and tranfparent waters in mag- 
nificent abundance. In clefts of rocks and 
hollow trees, the prudent and indufttious bees 
formed their commonwealths, offering without 
intcreft to every hand the fruitfiil harveft of 


Il6 DON Q^UIXOTE. 

their delicious toil. The ftately cork-trees 
voluntarily ftripped themfelves of their light 
extended bark, with which men began to co- 
ver their rural cottages^ fupported upon roftic 
poles, with a view only to defend them- 
felves from the inclemency of the weather. 
All was then peace, all was haroKmy, and all 
was friendfliip. As yet the ponderous coulter 
of the crooked plough had not prefumed to 
open or viiit the pious edtrails of our firft mo- 
ther, who, without compulfion, prefented on 
every part of her wide and fertile bofom, eve- 
ry thing that could fatis^fy, fullain, and delight 
her fons^ who then poflefled her. Then did the 
fimple and beautifiil fliepherdeíTes rove from 
hill to hill, and dale to dale, bare-headed, in 
their braided locks, without any other cloaths 
than what were neceíTary to cover modeftly 
that which modeily commands, and always 
has commanded to be covered. Neither were 
their ornaments fuch as are ufed now-a-dayft> 
enhanced in value by the Tyrian purple, and 
the many-ways martyred filk, but ccMnpofed 
of verdant dock-leaves and ivy interwoven to- 
gether; with which they appeared^ perhaps^ 
with as great pomp and contrivande as the 
court-ladies of our days, dreffed in all the rare 
and foreign faihions which idle curiofity has 
invented. Then were the amorous di¿Utes of 
the foul expreffed in fenfible fimplicicy, juft 
as they were conceived, undifguifed by the ar- 


r 


»0M qjJlX^Tti 117 

tificial cloak of fpceious words. There waa 
no fraud, no deceit, no malice intermixed with 
plain*dealing truth : juilice then kept within 
ner proper bounds, undifturbed and imbiafled 
by intcreft and favour, which now impair^» 
confound, and perfecute her fo much : law 
was not then centered in the arbitrary bofom 
of the judge ; for, at that time, there was nei- 
ther cauie nor conteft. Damfels and decency, 
as I have already faid, went about fingle, and 
without fear of being injured by infolence or 
lufi ; and their ruin, when it happened, was 
the fruit of their own will and pleafure* Bu^ 
now-a-days, in this deteftable age, no maid Í9 
fecure, though file was concealed and fliut up ixx 
fuch another labyrinth as was that of Crete ; 
&r, even there, the amorous peftilence, with 
the zeal of mifchievous importunity, would eur 
ter, cither by the help of wings, or by glid^ 
ing throi^h fome chink or other, and all he^ 
banicadoed challity would go to wreck. Fox 
the fecurity of this virtue, in procefs of time^ 
when mifchief grew to a greater head, the or* 
der of knight-errantry was firil inftituted tq 
defend damfels, proteo widows, and fuccoui* 
the needy and the fatherlefs. This order, 
brother goat-herds, I profefs, and thank you 
for this kind entertainment and reception 
which I and my fquire have received at your 
hands : for though, by the law of nature, all 
mankind are obliged to favour and áífiíl knights* 


Il8 DON QJJ I X OT & 

errant» during the whole courfe of their lives ) 
yet, as you have received and regaled me, be-> 
fore you knew yourfelves to be under that obli^ 
gation, I think it my duty to return my moít 
iincere acknowledgment for your hofpitality. 


I 
I 


99 


The whole of this tedious harangue, which 
might very well have been fpared, was pro- 
nounced by our knight, becaufe the acorns 
they prefented recalled to his memory the 
golden age i therefore he took it in his head 
to make thefe ufelefs refiedions to the goat- 
herds, who, without anfwering one fyUable, 
liftened with fufpenfe and aftonifliment. San- 
cho was alfo ¿lent ; but kept his teeth employ- 
ed upon the acorns, and paid many a vifit to 
the fecond wine-bag, which, that the contents 
might be the cooler, was hung upon a cork- 
tree. Don Qgixote was lefs tedious iii his dif-« 
courfe than at his meal, which being ended, 
one of the goat-herds faid, *' That your wor- 
ihip knight-errant, may be convinced of our 
readinefs and good-will to give you all the en- 
tertainment in our power, you ihall have the 
pleafure and fatisfa^ion of hearing a fong from 
one of our companions, who will foon be here. 
He is an underftanding young fellow, very 
much in love, who, moreover, can read and 
write, and play upon the rebec *, that it will 

* A fort of finall fiddle of one piece, with three ib-ings, oied to 
fliepherds. 


DON <IV I X O T I. 1 19 

delight you to hear him.*' Scarce had the 
goat-herd pronounced thefe words, when their- 
ears were faluted with the found of this inftru- 
ment, and prefently after appeared the mufi- 
cian, who was a ycning fellow of about twenty 
or twenty-two years of age, an<J of a very 
graceful appearance. His companions aiked 
him if he had fupped i and he anfwering in the 
affirmative ; one of them, who made the offer 
to the knijght, faid to him, " If that be the cafe, 
Antonio, you wil]i do us t)ie pleafure to fing a 
fong, that this gendeman, our guefl, may fee 
there are fome, even among thefe woods and 
mountains, who underiland mufic. We have 
already informed him of thy uncommon ta- 
lents, and we defire thou wouldfl fhew them, 
in order to juftify what we have faid in thy 
praife ; I therefore earneilly befeech thee to fit 
down, and fing the ballad of thy love, com- 
pofed by thy uncle the curate, which is fo 
much commended in our village." " With 
all my heart," replied the yqung man, who, 
without farther intreaty, fat down upon the 
trunk of an ancient oak, and tuning his io- 
ilrument, began in a very graceful manner tq 
fing a|id accompany the following fong : 


1^0 )PON q^UIXOTB. 

YOU love» Olalla» nay adore me; 

In fpite of all your art I know it» 
Although you never fmile before me» 
And neither tongue nor eyes avow í^. 

For» fure to flight a lover's paffion» 

So try'd as that which lives this heart in» 

Were but fmaU proof of penetration ; 
And that you are no fool is certain* 

Sometimes» indeed» and 'tis amazing» 
Tho' prov'd by evidence of twenty» 

Tou've plainly ihe^n your foul was brazen» 
And eke your fnowy bofom flinty. 

Yet» in the midft of maiden fliynefs» 
Affeéled fcom and decent fcolding» 

Kind Hope appeared with proffered fpy-glaft» 
The border of her robe unfolding. * 

Then balance in the fcales of reafon» 
My love unlhaken and untainted» 

Unapt to change from truth to treafon» 
By frowns impaired, by fmiles augmented. 

If love be courtefy refin'd» 

And you be civil to profuiion» 
That you will to my hopes prove kind» 

Is but a natural conclufion. 

If gratitude that breaft can foften» 
Which bids to other arts defiance» 

The fervices IVe rendered often, 

Muil melt your foul to kind compliance. 

For, more than once» had you attended» 
You might have feen me wear on Monday» 

My bed apparel fcour'd and mended» 
With which I wont to honour Sunday. 


As love delights ui finely. 

And women oft are won by tlghtaefS| 
I've ftill endeavoured in your eye. 

To ihine the minrour of poHtencÍ8« 

That I have danc'd the fwains among. 
To pleafe your pride what need I mention^ 

Or with the cock begun my fong. 
To wake my deeping fair's attention» 

« 

Or, that enamourM of your beauty, 

I've loudly founded forth its praifes ; 
A taik which, tho' a lover's duty. 

The fpite of other women raifes* 

For, once, Tcrefa of the hill, ' 
Beneath all notice woald have fonk ye^ 

«< Yott think Obdb angel ftiH, 
(Said (he) but other» fcom the Monkey, 

Thanks to her beads of glittering glafs. 
And her falfe locks in ringlets curling. 

And the falfe colour of her face. 
Which Love himfelf might take for fterling,'* 

She ly'd, I told her, in her throat } 
And when her kinfman kept a racketf 

You know I made him change his note. 
And foundly threíh'd the booby's jacket* 

Your lovely perfon, not your wealth. 

At firft engag'd my inclination ; 
Nor would I now poíFefs, by ftealth^ 

The guilty joys of fornication* 

The church has filken ties in ftore. 

Then yield thy neck to Hymen's fetters ; 

Behold I put my own before. 

And truft the noofe that binds our betters* 




IZZ DON Q^UIXOTB. 

£Ue» by each blefled faint I fwear» 

And hcay'n forbid I prove a lyar ! 
Never to quit this 4cfert drear. 

Except in form of l^ooded fiyar *• 

Thus ended the goat-herd*s ditty ; and tho* 
Don Quixote de^red him to fing another^ yet 
Sancho Panza would by no means give his 
confent, bein^ more inclined to t^ke his natu- 
ral reft than to hear ballads ; apd therefore he 
faid to his maft^r, ^^ Your worihip had better 
confider where you are to lodge this night ; 
for the labour that thefe honefi men undergo 
ip the day, will not fuffer them to pafs the 
night in finging." <* I underftand thee, San- 
cho, replied the knight, it plainly appears that 
the vifits thou haft mad^ to ^he wine-bag, de* 
piand the qonfolation pf fleep, ntther than that 

* The reader will perceive that I have eodeavoared to adapt the 
verlification to the plainnels and rufticity of the fentiments, which 
are preferved through the whole of thi^ ballad ; though all the other 
trandators feem to have been bent upon Cetting the poetry at vari- 
ance with the paOoral fimpUcity of the thoughts. For example, 
who would ever d^^eam of a goatobérd's addreffing his miftreís in thefe 
fermsi 

^ith rapture on each charm I dwell, 

And daily fpread thy beauty's fame ; _ 
And ftill my tongue thy praife ihall tell. 

Though envy fwell, or malice blame. 

The original fentiments which this courtly ftanza is defigned to tranf- 

late, are literally theie : 

'' I do not mention the praifes I have fpoken of your beauty, which, 
though true in fa¿t, are the occafion of my being hated by feme other 


women." 


DON QJJ I X O T B. J£3 

of mufic." ** They agreed with us all very 
well, blcffed be God ;" replied Sancho. ♦* I 
do not deny it, faid the knight, and thou 
may*ft beftow thyfelf in the beft manner thou 
canft, but it is more feemly for thofe of my 
profeflion to watch than to fleep ; it would not 
be amifs, however, Sancho, to drefs my ear 
again ; for it gives me more pain than I could 
wiih/' Sancho did as he deiired : when one 
of the goat-herds perceiving the wound, bade 
him give himfelf no trouble about it, for he 
would apply a remedy that would heal it in a 
trice ; fo faying, he took fome leaves of rofe- 
mary, which grew in great plenty round the 
hut, and having chewed and mi^ed them with 
a little fait, applied the poultice to his ear^ 
and binding it up carefully, afliu-ed him, as 
it añually happened, that it would need uq 
pther plafter. 


CHAP. IV. 

fnat was rtlated by a goat»heri^ who chancid to C9m$ 

into the huf, 

I N the mean time, another of the lads, who 
brought them visuals from the village, enter? 
}ng the hut, faid, '' Do you know what has 


124 ^^'^ Q^yiXOTI. 

happened in our town, comrades >^ When 
one of them anfwered, " How ihould we ?" 
^' Know then, continued he, that the £unou$ 
ftudent Chryfoftom died this morning ; and it 
is murmured about, that his death was occa* 
iioned by his love for that deviliih girl Mar* 
celia, daughter of William the rich ; ihe that 
roves about thefe plains in the habit of a ihep- 
herdefs." " For MarceUa, faid you ?" cried 
one. ^^The lame, anfwered the goat-herd: 
and it is certain, that in bis laft will, he order- 
ed himfelf to be buried in the field, like a 
Moor (God blefs us !) at the foot of the rock, 
hard by the cork-tree fpring; for, the report 
goes, and they fay, he faid fo himfelf, as how 
the firft time he faw her was in that place ; and 
he has alfo ordained many other fuch things^ 
as the clergy fay muft not be accompliihed, 
nor is it right they ihould be accompliihed } 
for truly they feem quite heatheniih: to all 
which objedlions his dear friend, Ambroiio, 
the ftudent, who alfo dreflcd himfelf like a 
ihepherd, to keep him company, replies, that 
he will perform every thing, without fail, that 
Chryfoftom has ordered ; and the whole vil- 
lage is in an uproar about it. But it is believ- 
ed that every thing, at laft, will be done ac- 
cording to the deñre of Ambrofio, and all the 
reft of the ihepherds, his fnends; and that 
to-morrow he will be interred with great pomp 
in the very fpot I have mentioned. I am re- 


o. a V 0^0 I X o T I. 125 

folv«d therefore, as it will be a thing well worth 
feeing, to go thitl^r without fail, even though 
I thought I fhould not be able to return to the 
village that night." ** We will do fo too, re- 
plied the goat^herda, and caft lots to fee which 
of OS moift flay and take care of our flocks." 
" You are in the right, Pedro, faid one, but 
there will be no occafion to ufe that fhift ; for 
I in3rfelf will flay and take care of the whole, 
and you mufl not impute my urrying to vir- 
tue, or the want of curiofity, but to the plaguy 
thorn that ran into my foot the other day, and 
hinders me from walking." " We are obliged 
to thee, however," anfwered Pedro, whom Don 
Qgizote defired to tell him who that fame dead 
ihepherd and living ihepherdefs were. 

To this queftion the goat-herd replied, all 
that he knew of the matter was, that the de- 
ceafed was the fon of a rich farmer, who lived 
in the neighbourhood of a village in thefe 
mountains ; that he had fhidied in Salamanca 
maay years, at the end of which he had re- 
turned to bis £umily with the charader of a 
great fcholar: in particular they faid, he was 
very knowing in the fcience of the f)$u«, and 
what^pofied betwixt üie fim and moo^, a&d the 
heavens; for he had pun^ally fomold the 
clipfe of them both ! ** The ©bfcuration of 
tho& tiM great Imninaries, faid the knight, 
is called the eclipfe^and not the clipfe> friend." 


IZS DON QJJ I X O T E, 

But Pedro, without troubling his head with 
thefe trifles, proceeded, faying, '' he likewifc 
forefaw when the year would be plentiful or 
ftaril-" ** You mean fterile," faid Don Q^x* 
ote* " Sterile, or ftaril, replied Pedro, comes 
all to the fame purpofe ; and I fay, that his &- 
ther and hié friends, taking his advice, became 
very rich ; for they gave credit to his words, 
and followed his counfel in all things. When 
he would fay, this year you muft fow barley 
and no wheat ; here you muft fow carabances, 
but no barley ; next year there will be a good 
harveft of oil ; but for three years to come 
there will not be a drop." " That fcience, re- 
plied Don Qgixote, is called aftrology." " I 
know not how it is called, replied Pedro ; but 
this I know, that he knew all this, and much 
more. In ihort, not many months after he 
came from Salamanca, he appeared all of a 
fudden in ihepherd-weeds, with his woolly 
jackety and a flock of flieep, havii^ laid afide 
the long drefs of & ftudent. And he was ac- 
companied by a friend of his in the lame ha- 
bit, whofe name was Ambrofio, and who had 
been his fellow-ftudent at collie. I forgot 
to tell you, that Chryfoftom, the defunfi, was 
fuch a great man at compofing couplets, that 
he made carols for Chriftmas eve, and pkyS 
for the Lord's-day, which were repreiented by 
the young men in our village ; and every body 
faid, that they were tip-top. When the peo- 


DO» Q^U I X O T B. iá>«y 

pie of the village faw the two fcholars fo fud- 
deüly clothed like fihepherds, they were fur- 
prized, and could not guefá their reafon for 
fuch an odd change. About that time the 
fiither of this Chryfoftom dying, be inherit^ 
ed great riches, that were in moveables and 
in lands, with no fmall number of iheep more 
or lefs^ and a great deal of money : of all 
whitch this young mah remained defolate lord 
and matter ; and truly he deferved it all ; for 
he was an excellent companion, very charita- 
ble, a great friend to good folks, and had a 
moft ble(&d countenance. Afterwards it came 
to be known, that his reafon for changing his 
garb, was no other than with a view of ftroU- 
ing through the woods and deferts after that 
fame ihepherdefs Marcella, whofe name my 
friend mentioned juft now, and with whom 
the poor defiínél Chryfoftom was woundily in 
love : and I will now tell you, for it is necef- 
fary that y<m íhoüld know who this wench is ; 
for, >mayhap, nay even without a mayhap, you 
never heard of fuch a thing in all the days of 
your life, though you be older than ♦ St. Paul." 
** Say Paul's," replied Don Qgixote, offended 
at the goat-herd's perverting the words. *' St. 
Paul was no chicken, replied Pedro, and if 

* Iq tke orif ixial Spaniih, the goat-herd| indead of iaying as oUl 
as Sarah, iays, as old as Sarna, which in that language íígnifies the 
itch ; but M it is impoffible to preferve thefe miftakes in the traolla- 
tion, 1 have fubiliniied another ia its room, which I apt^ithend ii 
equally natural and ezpreflive. 


tag 9 o K <ii} I X a T & 

your worfliip be rcfolvcd to corrcél my word« 
every moment, we ihall sot have done in a 
twelvemonth.'' " I aík your pardon, friend, 
faid the knight ; I only mention this, becaufe 
there is a wide difference between the per fon 
of St. Paul, and a church that goes by his 
name : but, however, you made a very fen* 
fible reply ; for, to be fure, the faint liv^ long 
before the church was built : therefore go on 
with your ftory, and I promife not to interrupt 
you again." 

^' Well then, my good maAer, faid the goatr 
herd, there lived in our vills^e a £urmer, {till 
richer than Chryfoilom's father ; his name was 
William, and God gave him, over and above 
great wealth, a daughter, who at her birth was 
the death of her mother, the moil worthy dame 
in all the country. Methinks I fee her now 
with that face of hers, which feemed to have 
the fun on one fide, and the moon on the 
other ; (be was an excellent houfewife, and a 
great friend to the poor, for which reafon I 
believe her foul is enjoying the prefence of 
God in paradife. Her huiband died of grief 
for the lofs of fo good a wife, leaving his 
daughter Marcella, young and rich, to the 
care of an uncle, who has got a livii^ in our 
village. The girl grew up with fo much beau- 
ty, that ihe put us in mind of her mother, who 
had a great fliare, and yet it was thought it 


would be furpaíTed by the daughter's. It hap- 
pened accordingly ; for when ihe came to the 
9%c of fourteen or fifteen, nobody could be- 
hold her without blefling God, for having 
made fo beautiful a creature ; and every body 
almoft grew defperately in love with her. Her 
uncle kept her up with great care ; but, for 
all that, the fiime of her exceeding beauty 
fpread in fuch a manner, that . both for her 
perfon and fortune, not only the richeft peor 
pie in our town, but likewife in many leagues 
about, came to aik her in .marriage of her 
uncle, with much importunity and folicitation. 
But he, who, to give him his due, was a good 
chriftian, although he wanted to difpofe of 
her as foon as ihe came to the age fit for ma- 
trimony, would not give her away without her 
own confent ; neither had he a view in defer- 
ring her marriage, to the gain and advantage 
which he might enjoy in managing the girFs 
fortune. And truly I have heard this fpoken 
in more companies than one, very much to 
the praife of the honeft prieiL For I would 
have you know, fir traveller, that in thefe fmall 
towns, people intermeddle and grumble about 
every thing. And this you may take for cer- 
tain, as I know it to be fo, that a clergy- 
man mufl be excefiively good indeed, if he 
can oblige his flock to {peak well of him, ef- 
pecially in country villages.'* " You are cer- 
uinly in the right, faid Don Qtiixote, and pray 
Vol. I. K 


IJO o ó !f <IV i X O 1* ti 

go on, for your ftory is very entertaining, tnd 
you, honeft Pedro, relate it virith a good gmee.** 
^ May I never want God's grace> faid the 
Ihepherd ; for tkat is the main chance ; and 
you muft know, moreover, that though the 
ttncle piopofed to his niece, and defcf ibed the 
good qualities of each in particular who aiked 
her in marriage, defiring bet to give her hand 
to (ome one or other, and choofe for herfelf ; 
fhe never would give him any other anfwer» 
but that &e did not choofe to marry, for (he 
was too young to bear the burthen of matri* 
mony. On account of theft excufes, which 
leemed to have Ibme reafon in them, her uncle 
forbore to importune her, axid waited till (he 
ihould have more years and difcerament to 
make choice of her own company ; for he faid, 
and to be iure it was well &id, that parent» 
ihould never difpofe of their children againft 
their own inclinations^ But behold, when we 
lead thought of it, the timorous Marcella one 
day appeared^ in the habit of a ihepherdefs ; 
and widiout in^rting her defign to her uncle, 
or any body in the village, for fear they might 
have difiiiaded her from it, íhe took to the 
field with her own ik>ck, in company of th^ 
other damfels of the village. As die now ap- 
peared in public, and her beauty was ezpofed 
to the eyes of every body, you cannot conceive 
what a number of rich youths^ gentlemen, and 
farmers, iomiediatdy took the garb of Chry-- 


DON Q^UliíOtE. l¿t 

foftotn, and went wóoing hcr through the 
fields. One of thefe fuitors, as you have 
heard, was the deceafed, who, they fay^ left 
off loving to adore her ; and you muft not 
think, that becaufe Marcella took to this free 
and unconfined way' of living, ihe brought the 
Icaft difparagcment upon her chaftity and good 
name ; on the contrary, fueh is the vigilance 
with which ftie guards her honour, that of all 
thofe who ferve and folicit her, not one hai 
boafted, not indeed can boaft with any truth, 
that ihe has given him the fmalleft hope of 
accomplilhing his delire ; for though ihe nei- 
ther flies, or avoids the company and conver- 
fation of the Ihepherds, but treats them in a 
courteous and friendly manner, whenever any 
one of them comes to difclofe his intention, 
let it be ever fo juft and holy, even marriage 
itfelf, fhe throws him from her like a Hone 
from a fling, and being of this difpofition, docs 
more damage in the country, than if a pef- 
tilence had feized it; for her affability and 
beauty allure all the hearts of thofe that con- 
vcrfe with her to ferVe and love her, but her 
coynefs and plain-dealing drive them even to 
the borders of defpair ; therefore they know 
not what to fay, but upbraid her with cruelty 
and ingratimde, and give her a great many 
fuch titles, as plainly ihew the nature of her 
difpofition : and if your worlhip was but to 
ftay here one day, you would hear thefe hills 


l¿% DON QJJ I X O T £• 

and dales refound with the lamentations of 
her reje¿ted followers. Not far from this 
place there is a tuft of about a dozen of tall 
beeches, upon every one of which you may 
read engraved the name of Marcella^ and over 
fome a crown cut out in the bark, as if her 
lover would have declared, that Marcella wears, 
and deferves to wear, the crown of all earthly 
beauty. Here one Ihepherd fighs, there ano- 
ther complains ; in one place you may hear 
amorous ditties ; in another the dirges of def« 
pair; one lover fits mufing through all the 
hours of the night» at the foot of fome tall afli, 
or rugged rock, and there, without having 
clofed his weepiiig eyes, ihrunk up as it were, 
and entranced in his own refledions, he is 
foimd by the rifing fun ; a fecond without 
giving refpite or truce to his fighs, expofed to 
the heat of the mod ful try fummer's fun, lies 
ftretched upon the burning fand, breathing 
his complaints to pitying heaven; and over 
this and that, and thefe and thofe^ the free, the 
unconcerned, the fair Marcella triumphs. We, 
who are acquainted with her difpofition, wait 
with impatience to fee the end of all this dif- 
dain, and long to know what happy man will 
tame fuch an imfociable humour, and enjoy 
fuch exceeding beauty. As every thing that 
I have recounted is true to a tittle, I have no 
reafon to doubt the truth of what our comrades 
faid concerning the caufe of Chryfoftom's 


DON Q^U I X O T E. 13^ 

death ; and therefore, I advife you, fir, not to 
fail being to-morrow at his burial, which will 
be well worth feeing ; for Chryfoftom had a 
great many friends, and the fpot in which he 
ordered himfelf to be buried is not more than 
half a league from hence.'' 

** I will take care to be prefent, faid the 
knight, and thank you heartily for the plea- 
fure you have given me in relating fuch an in- 
terefting ftory." " Oh ! as for that, cried the 
goat-berd, I do not know one half of what has 
happened to the lovers of Marcella ; but to- 
morrow, perhaps, we may light upon fome 
ihepherd pn the road, who is better acquainted 
with them. In the mean time you will do well 
to go to fleep under fbme cover, for the cold 
night-air may not agree with the hurt your jaws 
have received, though the remedy I have appli- 
ed is fuch, that you have nothing elfe to fear.'* 

Sancho Panza, who wiihed the goat-herd's 
loquacity at the devil, eameftly intreated his 
mafter to go to fleep in Pedro's hut. This re- 
queft the knight complied with, and fpent the 
greateft part of the night in thinking of his 
lady Dulcinea, in imitation of Marcella's lov* 
ers ; while Sancho Panza, taking up his lodging 
betwixt Rozinante and his afs, flept foundly, 
not like a difcarded lover, but like one who 
had been battered and bruifed the day before. 


134 DON ^V I X o T & 


CHAP. V. 

The conclujion of the Jiory of the Shepherdefs Marcella^ 

and other incidents. 

Scarce had Aurora difclofed herfclf 
through the balconies of the caft, whcu five 
of the fix goat-herds arifing, went to awakea 
Pou Qtiixote, and told him» that if he conti- 
nued in his refolucion of going to fee the fa- 
mous funeral of Chryfoilom^ they would keep 
Vvax company* The knight, who defired no- 
thing better, arofe, and commanded Sancho to 
&ddle his horfc, and pannel his afs immcdi-i 
ttely. This order was executed with great 
difpatch, and they fet out without lofs of time« 
They had not travelled more than a quartet 
of a league, when, upon croífing a path, they 
faw coming towards them fix ihepherds, cloth- 
ed in jackets of black iheep ikin, and crown- 
ed with garlands of cyprefs, and bitter-bay^ 
each having a club of holly in liis hand. 
Along with them came alfo two gentlemen on 
horfeback, very well equipped for travel, ac^ 
companied by three young men on foot 

When they advanced they fainted one ano- 
ther, and underilanding, upon enquiry, that 
they were all bound to the place of interment^ 


they jdStted compsny» astd trarellcd together. 
One of the horfemen iaid to Yas coinpanion, 
<« Signer Vivaldo, we ihall not b»ve reaibn to 
gnidge oar tarrying to fee this famous funeral^ 
which moft certainly be very extraordinary, 
fay the ftnmgB accoont we have nsceived froia 
theie people, oí the dead fhepherd, and tbo 
imurdenms ihepherdefs." '^ I am of the fame 
opinion, angered Vivaldo, and would not oskly 
tarty one day, but even four or five, on par« 
poie to fee it." Don Quixote aiking what they 
had hesprd of Marcella and Chryibftom, the 
traveller ncplkd» that» eavly in the morning, 
they had met with tfade ihephefds, of whom 
enquiring the caude of their being clotthed in 
fech melancholy weeds, they had been inform* 
ed of the coynela and beauty of a certain ihep« 
herdefii called Marsella, and the haplefs love 
of many who eonrted her, together with the 
death of that fame ChrjHbftom to whofe fímeral 
they were going. In ihprt, he recounted every 
circumftance of what Pedro had told Don 
Qgixote before* 

This converfation being ended, another be- 
gan by Vivaldo's aiking Don G^ixote, why he 
travelled thus in armour in a peaceable coun- 
try? To this quefiion the knight replied: 
'* The exereife of my profeffion will not per^ 
mit or allow me to. go in any other manner. 
Revels, feailing, and repofe were invented by 


136 DON qjUIZOTS. 

effeminfttc courtiers; but toil, anxiety, and 
arms are peculiar to tbofe whom the world 
calls knights-errant, of which order I, though 
unworthy, and the leaft, am one." He had no 
fooner pronounced thefe words, than all pre* 
lent took him for a madman : but, in order to 
confirm .their opinion, and difcover what fpe- 
cies of madnefs it was, Vivaldo deiired to know 
what he meant by kn^hts-errant. '^ What ! 
laid Don Qjiixote, have you never read the 
annals and hiftory of England, which treat 
of the famous exploits of Arthur, who, at pre- 
fent, in our Caftilian language, is called King 
Artus, and of whom there is an ancient tra« 
dition, generally believed all over Great-Bri- 
tain, that he did not die, but was, by the art of 
enchantment, metamorphofed into a raven: 
and that the time will come when he ihall re- 
turn, and recover his fceptre and throne ? for 
which reafon it cannot be proved, that from 
that period to this, any Engliihman has killed 
a raven. In the reign of that excellent king 
was inftituted that famous order of chivalry, 
called the Knights of the Round-Table ; and 
thofe amours ' pün^ally happened, which are 
recounted of Don Lancelot of the Lake, with 
Qjicen Ginebra, by the help and mediation of 
that iage and venerable duenna Qjiitaniona, 
from whence that delightful ballad, fo much 
fung in Spain, took its rife : 


PON Q^UIXOTE. l¿^ 

For never fare wu aay knight 

So Icrr'd by damíel» or by dame. 
As Lancelot, that man of might. 

When he at firft from Britain came. 

With the reft of that moft relilhing and delU 
cious account of his amours^ and valiant ex- 
ploits. From that time the order of knight-er« 
rantry was extended, as it were, from hand to 
hand, and fpread through divers and fundry 
parts of the world, producing, among many 
other worthies celebrated for their atchieve*» 
ments, the valiant Amadis de Gaul, with all his 
fons and nephews, even to the fifth generation ; 
the courageous Felixmarte of Hircania, the 
xiever-enough to be commended Tirante the 
white, and he whom, in this our age, we have 
as it were feen, heard, and converfed with, 
the invincible and valorous knight Don Beli- 
anis of Greece, This, Gentlemen, is what I 
meant by kn^ht-errant ; and fuch as I have 
defcribed is the order of chivalry, which as I 
have already told you, I, though a finneh 
have profefTed, and the very fame which thofe 
knights I mentioned profeiTed, I profefs alfo. 
On which account I am found in thefe defarts 
and folitudes, -in queft of adventures, fully 
determined to lift my arm, and expofe my 
perfon to the greateft danger that my deiliny 
ihall decree, in behalf of the needy and op« 
preffcd." 


138 ^^N QJJlXOTt, 

By this declaration, the travellers were con^ 
vinced that the knight had loft his wUs, and 
eafily perceived the fpecies of folly which had 
taken pofleflion of his brain, and which ftruck 
them with the fame furprize that always feiz- 
ed thofie who became acquainted witli our 
knight» Vivaldo, who was a perfoo of difere* 
tion and a great deal of arehnefs^ in order tt> 
travel agreeably the reft of the read which they 
had to go till they ihould come to the place of 
interment, wanted to give him an opportimity 
of proceeding in his extrava^^ce» and in that 
view, laid to him : '' Sir knight-errant» me« 
thinks your worflxip pro&fles one of the ftiiA<« 
eft orders upon earth, nay, I will affirm, m^o 
ftrid than thai of the Carthvfim friar»,'' 

" The order of the Carthufians, anfwered 
Don Qgisote, may be as Arid, but, that it ia 
as beneficial to mankind, I am within a hair's 
breadth of doubtuig; for, to be plain with you, 
the ibldier who exec^tes his captain's com* 
manda, is no lefs valuable áian the captain 
who gave the order ; I mean, that the monks 
pray to God for their fellow-creatures in peace 
and iafety ; but we foldiers and knights put in 
ejtecution that for which they pray, by the va- 
lour of our arniis, and the edge of our ^ords ; 
living under no other cover than the cope of 
heaven, &t up in a manner as marks for the 
intolerable heat of the fun in fummer, and the 


DON QJJIXOTM. 159 

cUlling breath of frofty wiater : we are there- 
fore God's inimfters, and the arms by which 
he executes his juftice upou earth ! and as the 
circumftances of war, and what has the leail 
affinity and concern with it, cannot be accom* 
pliihed without fweat, anxiety, and fatigue; 
it follows, that thofe who profefs it, aredoubt* 
kfs more fubjed to toil, than thofe who, in 
reft and fecurity, implore the favour of God 
ibr perlbns who can do nothing for themfelves ; 
not that I would be thought to fay, or ima^* 
g'uae, the condition of a knight-arrant is equal 
to that of a reclufe monk ; I would only infer 
£rom what we fufier, that it is without doubt 
more troublefome, more battered, more familh^ 
ed, more miferable, racked and loufy ; £»r th^ 
knights^rrant of paft times certainly under* 
went numberlefe misfortunes in the courfe of 
their lives ; and if fome of them came to be 
^Qiperors by the valour of their arms^ confiar 
dering the blood and fweat it coft them ; in 
faith it was a dear purchafe : and if thofe who 
attained fuch a fiipreme ftation, had been with« 
out their lage enchanters to afiift them» they ', 
might have been defrauded by their deiires, 
gnd grievoufly baulked of their expectations.'' 

" I am very much of your opinion, anfwer« 
ed the traveller ; but there is one thing among 
you knights-errant that I cannot approve o¿ 
•Rd that is» when any great ^d dangerous ad- 


140 DON Q^UIXOTB. 

Tentare occurs^ in which you run a nuaifefl: 
riik of lofing your lives, in the inilant of an 
engagement, you never think of recommend- 
ing your fouls to God, as every Chriftian ought 
to do on fuch occaiions ; but, on the contrary, 
put up your petitions to your miftrefies, with 
as much fervour and devotion as if they were 
your deities; a circumftance which, in my 
opinion, fmells ftrong of paganifm.'^ ** Sir, 
replied Don Qgizote, that pra¿):ice muft in no 
degree be altered ; and wo be to that knight- 
errant who ihould do otherwife ; for, accord* 
ing to the praéiice and cuftom of chivalry, 
every knight, when he is upon the point of 
atchieving fome great feat, muft call up the 
idea of his miftrefs, and turning his eyes upon 
her with all the gentlenefs of love, implore, 
as it were, by his looks, her favour and pro- 
te&ion in the doubtful dilemma in which he 
is about to involve himfelf : nay, even though 
nobody ihould bear him, he is obliged to mut- 
ter between his teeth an ejaculation, by which 
he heartily and confidently recommends him* 
felf to her good wiihes : and of this pradice 
we have innumerable examples in hiftory í but 
I would not have you think, that we are to 
forbear recommending ourfelves to God alfo; 
there will be time and opportunity enough for 
that duty in the courfe of adion/' 

" But, neverthelefs, faid the traveller, I have 
fiill one fcruple remaining, which is, that I have 


DON QJJ I X O T E. 141 

often read of a difpute between two knights, 
which proceeding to rage, from one word to 
another, they have turned about their needs to 
gain ground for a good career ; and then with- 
out any more ceremony, returned to the en- 
counter at full gallop, recommending them- 
felves to their miftreffcs by the way ; and the 
common ilTue of fuch an engagement is, that 
one of them is thrown down by his horfe's 
crupper, iluck thro' and thro' with his adver- 
iary's lance, while the other, with . difficulty, 
avoids a fall by laying hold of his horfe's 
mane: now, I cannot comprehend how the 
dead man could have time to recommend him- 
felf to God, in the courfe of fo fudden an at- 
tack ; furely, it would have been better for his 
foul, i^ inftead of the words he uttered in his 
career, he had put up a petition to heaven, ac- 
cording to the duty and obligation of every 
Chriilian ; efpecially, as I take it for granted 
that every knight-errant has not a miftrefs; 
for all of them cannot be in love." '^ That's 
impoflible, anfwered Don Quixote. I affirm, 
that there never could be a knight-errant with-* 
out a miñrefs ; for to be in love is as natural 
and peculiar to them, as the fiars are to the 
heavens. I am very certain that you never 
read an hiftory that gives an account of a 
knight-errant without an amour; for he that 
has never been in love, would not be held as 
a legitimate member, but fome adulterate broody 


T4¡5 Don tljü I )C O T £. 

wlro had got into the fortrcfs of chivalry^, not 
thro' the gate, but over the walls, like a thief 
in the night.** 

" Yet, notwithttanding, faid the traveller, I 
have read that Don Galaor, brother of the va- 
liant Amadis de Gaul, never had any known 
miftreft to whom he could recommend him- 
felf, and he Was not difregarded, but looked 
upon as a very valiant and famous knight.** 
" Signor, anfwercd our hero Don <3jiixote, one 
fwallow makes not a fummer : beiides, to my 
certain knowledge, that knight was privately 
very much in love ; indeed he made love to 
every handfome woman who came in his way ; 
for that was his natural difpofition, which he 
by no means could refift : in ihort, it is very 
well attefted, that he had one miftrefs, whom 
he enthroned, as fovercign of his heart, and 
to whom he recommended himfelf with great 
caution and privacy, becaufe he piqued him- 
felf upon being a fecrct knight.** 

^* Since then it is eíTential to every knight to 
be in love, we may conclude that your wor- 
ihip, being of that profeffion, is no Aranger 
to that palTion : and if you do not value your- 
felf upon being as fecret a knight as Don Ga- 
laor, I eameftly intreat you, in behalf of ray- 
felf and the reft of the company, to tell us 
the name, country, nation, and quaiitiea of 


yoüT fniftrcfe, who muft think hcrfelf extreme- 
ly hippy in reflefting that all the world know», 
how much (he is beloved and adored by fo va- 
liant a knight as your worihip appears to be.** 

Hire Don Qgiifote uttered a grievous figh, 
faying» ** I am not pofitively certain, whether 
or not that beauteous enemy of mine takes 
jdeafure in the world's knowing I am her flave ; 
this only I can fay, in anfwer to the queftion 
you afked with fb much civility, that her name 
is Dulcinea ; her native country a certain part 
of La Mancha, called Tobofo ; her nation muft 
tt leaft be that of a princefs, fince fhc is queen 
-and lady of my foul ; her beauty fupematural, 
in that it juftifies all tfaofe impóffible and chi- 
merical attributes of excellence, which the 
poets befiow upon their nymphs ; her bait is 
of gold, her forehead the Elyiian fields, her 
eye-brows heavetily arches, her eyes them- 
felvet fims, her cheeks tofes, her lips of cofal, 
her teeth of pearl, her neck alabafter, her 
breaft marble, her hands ivory, her ikin wfattsr 
than fnow, and thofe parts which detency 
conceals from human view are fuck, according 
to my belief and appreheniion, as difcretbn 
ought to enhance above all comparifon*'^ 

^ I wiih we knew her lineage» race and fa- 
natly," replied Vivaldo. To this hint the 
knight anfwered, **She is not defccnded of 


144 DON' Q^U I Z O T & 

the antient Caii, Curtii, and Scipios of Rome, 
nor of the modern Colonas and Oriini, nor of 
the Moncades and Requefenes of Catalonia» 
much lefs of the Rebellas and Villanovaa of 
Valencia ; or the Palafaxes, Newcas, Rocaber- 
tis, Ckirellas, Lunas, Alagones, Urreas^ Fozes 
and Gurreas of Arragon, or the Cerdas^ Man- 
riquez» Mendozas and Gufmans of Caftile, or 
the Alencaftros, Pallas and Menefis of Form- 
gal : but ihe fprung from the family of Tobofo 
de la Mancha; a lineage which, though mo- 
dem, may give a noble rife to the moft il- 
luftrious families of flimre ages; and let no 
man contradid what I lay, except upon the 
conditions ezpreifed in that infcription plac- 
ed by Cerbino under the trophy of Orlando's 
arms : 

That knight alone thefe arms (hall move. 
Who dares Orlando's prowefs protc *." 

* When a knight challenged the ^i^ole world» he wore anemprizto 
confifting of a gold chain, or fome other badge of lore and chivalry i 
and fixnetimes this emprize was fixed in a public place to attraéb the 
attention of ilrangers. When any perfon accepted the challenge for 
a trial of chivalry, called the combat of courtefyy he touched tfa» 
emprize ; but, if he tore it away, it was confidered as a refolution to 
£ght the owner to extremity or outranoe. The combat of c o u i tefr 
is ftill praétifed by our prize-fighters and boiersi who ihake hands 
before the engs^^ement, in token of love. 

But no defiance of this kind could be either publiflied or accepted 
without the permiflion of the prince at whofe court the combatants 
chanced to be. Accordingly we are told by diver de la Marche, that 
the lord of Ternant having publiihed a defiance at the court of Bur- 
gundy, in tfie year 1445, Galiot aflced the duke's permiflion Co touch 
the challenger's emprize ; which being granted, he advanced and 


^ AUliDugk I myfelf am defeetxdcd nona 
the * Cac]iB|>iiie8 of Loredo^ faid the tra^cillsr, 
I vomñ. pivfume to compare with that of To- 
faoife de ia Mancha ; thoa|fh, to be plam 'widi 
yoQ^ I neter be&re hea^ of Mj ftiok geae- 
rwtkmJ* '* Hbw, not heard V^ i^ied Dcm 
^ixoie. The reft^ the oérx»p$kity jogged oA, 
lifteuin^ with gfeat att^ádon to iMs difooutft, 
and ali of tíieqi, eyeü the very góe^faerdi^ hy 
this dme v$en eoftviii<(ed, that ontr ktdghfa 
jadgmem waa grievoufiy unpíaired» GkiMho 
alone believed, that every thing his tMÁer 
faid was true; becaufe he knew his family, 
and had been acquM»!^ wkh himfelf from 
his cradle. The only doubt that he entertain- 
ed was of this fame beandfiil IXilctnea ^1 
Toboib; for Aever had faefa a naltie or fáéh a 
princefetrome wiAin the f^hert of his obfer- 
vmcion, ahhongb he lited in the nei^lifbdttf- 

hood of that places 

« 

White diey travelled along, eonverfing iñ 
this manner,, they perceived about twenty 
ihepherds defeend throttgh a ckft made by 

Couched it, fating to the bearer, while he bowed very low, << Noblo 
koigfatf I touch year emprise ; ttid, with OodS pemifion, wlH d» 
my ttcmoft to falfil your defire either «a borfehadc or on Ibet." The 
lord of Ternaat humbly thanked ^im for hi^ coudefceofion, fiud he 
was extremely welcome, and pnmñíM to íbnd him thai íáaie day a 
cartel, mentioning the arms they fliould ufe. 

* Cachopines is the nam» given to tbo £iir9ptaas by th# Indians 
of Mexico. 

Vol. h L 


two high móuñtains. They were all clad in 
jackets of black ihecp-ikm, and eaeh of them 
cjrowned with a garland, which was cpn^ied, 
as wfc afterwards . learned, partly of tyjatb 
and partly of yew : fix of the foremoft carried 
a bier ; upon which they had ftrewed a Tanc- 
ty of brsnches and fbwers. And this was 
no fooner perceived by one of the goat^herds, 
than he laid, '^ Thejfe are > the people .who car- 
ry the corpfe of Chryfofiom^ and the foot of 
that mountain is the place where be ordered 
himfelf to be interred/' 

Upon this infimdation they made hafle, and 
came up juft at the time that the^ bearers, hav- 
ing laid down the body, began to dig the 
grave with pick^axes^ on one fide of a flinty 
lock. They received our travellers with great 
courtefy; and Doq. Quixote, with his com- 
pany, went towards the bier to look at the 
dead body, which was covered with flowers, 
clad in fliepherd's Weeds, and feemingly thir- 
ty years old. Notwithilanding he was dead, 
they could plainly perceive that he had been 
a man of an engaging afpe¿^ and genteel fta- 
ture; and could hot help wondering at the 
fight of a great many papers, both fealed and 
loofe, that lay round him in the coiBn* 

While the new-comers were obfcrving this 
pha:nomenon, and the ihepherds bufied in 


0» QJÚ I X O T £• 147 

digging a graw, a wóntterful and univerfal 
filence prevailed, till fuch time as one of the 
bearers faid to another : *^ Confider, Ambn>* 
fio, if this be the very fpot which Chryfofton^ 
mentioned, that his laft will may be pundual- 
ly fnlfiUed.** ** This, anfwered Ambrofio, is 
the very place in which my unhappy friend 
has often recounted to me the ftory of his mis« 
fortunes^ Here it Was he firft beheld that mor- 
tal aiemy of human race ; here alio did he fiiit 
declare his amorous and honourable int:enti6ñ ; 
and here, at laft, did Marcella fignify hérdif* 
guft and difdain, which put an end to the tra- 
gedy of his wretched life ; and, in this place, 
as a nionument of his miihap, did he dcfire to 
be depofited in the bowels of eternal oblivion.'* 

Then addreffing himfelf to Don Qgixote, 
and the travellers, he thus proceeded : *' This 
corfe, gentlemen, which you behold with 
eompaifionate eyes, was the habitation of a 
foul, which pefleiTed an infinite ihare of the 
riches of heaven : this is the body of Chry- 
foftom, who Was a man of unparalleled genius, 
the pink of courtefy and kindnefs ; in friend- 
Ihip a very phoenix, liberal without bounds, 
grave without arrogance, gay without mean- 
nefs ; and, in ihort, fecond to none in every 
thing that was good, and without fecond in all 
that was unfortunate. He loved, and wrb ab* 
horred; he adoxedn and was difdained; he 


implor^ed 4 &yage ; he imp<9trtumd « ftatut ; he 
huptcd the wiad; cried idoucl to the deftit; 
he was a ikve to the moft ungrate&l of ^wuma ; 
9iid the fruit of hie fervitude waa death» whieh 
overbM^ hiyi ii^ the mddle of. his Career t ia 
fliort, he peñlhed by the craehy of a ftisp- 
herdefa, whom he ha$ eiieniifi^d i» the mtmo^ 
ry of aU the poople ia thiA eowHry; a» thefe 
papera» which you gai^ a)t, woukl ibew« if 
he hi^d KMH ordered Rie to eommtt them to the 
flams aa ioon aii hi^ body ihi^U bedepofttód 
in the earth/' 

* 

'' Yoi) will ufe them tbea wUh.mone ^nmltf 
Md rigour, faid Vivaldo> than th^ of the aa* 
thor himfelf : feeing it ia »eith« jtifl: «or coa- 
ventent to fulfil the will of any man, provid* 
ed it be uare^oaaUe. AuguAw Qe^ar would 
hare been in the wrong, had he coafesited ta 
the execution of what the dirme Mantuan or* 
dered on his death-bed. Wberefpre, fignor 
Ambrofto, while you commit the body of your 
firiend v> the earth, you ought not tikewife to 
confign his writings to oblivion ; nóv perform 
indifcteetly what he in his afflidiou ordained: 
on the contrary, by publiihing thefe papers, 
you ought to i^morulize the cruelty of Mar- 
oella, that it may ferve as aa example in tune 
10 coupe, and warn you^g sneu to ibun and 
avoid fuch dangerous precipices: lor I, and 
the lefi of this compuiy^ already know th^ 


00 ir <^ü^ix«tc 14^ 

liiftorf of that eoMioared and unhappy friedd; 
the nature of your friendihip, the oceafioii of 
hia déaífh, toother wkh the otdera that he tefi 
upon his death-bed t from whieh hmeütábU 
ftory, it is eafy to doncludr» how excéffivef 
fimft have been the cruelty of Mareefta, thtf 
love ef Chryfeftom, the faith of your ftiend^ 
fliip, and the check whidh thole receive, who 
precipitately run thro' the path exhibited W 
them by idle and mifchievoud love» Laft 
night, we underftood the death of Chryfef^- 
tom, who, we are informed, was to be buried 
in this place ; and therefore, out of curiofity 
and concern, have turned out of our way, re- 
folving to come, and fee with our eyes what 
had affcded us fo much in the hearing ; and 
in return for that concern» and the defire we 
felt in remedying it, if it had been in our 
power, we intreat thee, O difcreet Ambf ofio ! 
at leaft, for my own part, I beg of thee, not 
to burn theTe papers, but allow mc to prcferve 
ibpxe of thcpi,*' 

Accordiqigly, without ftaying for an anfwer, 
he reached out his hand, and took fome of 
thofe that were nearcft hiim : which Ambrofio 
perceiving, faid, ^* Out of civility, fignor, I 
will confent to your keeping what you have 
taken up ; but to think that I will &il to hom 
the reft is a vain fuppofition^*' Vivaldo being 
defirous of feeing the contents, immediately 


150 DON a.UIXOTXi 

opesejd one, intitkd, Afimg ^fdejj^iñr: which 
Ambroiio hearing, laid, '^ That ia the laft 
poem my mxhappy friend compofed ; and that 
you may fee, ¿giaor, to what a pafs hia miafor^ 
tmies had reduced him, read it aloud,, aqd 
you'll have time enoi^h .to finifli it before the 
grave be made !" '^ Tha$ I v^ill do with all my 
hcajpt," faid Vivaldo ; and every body prefent 
being feized with the fame defire, they ftood 
around him in a circle, and he read what. ioV 
lowe> with an audible voice. 

SINCE then» thy ¡deafure, crud maid! 

Is, that thy rigour and difdam 
i^ould be from dime to dime convey 'd; 

' All hell (hall aid me to complain ! 
The torments of my heart to tell. 

And thy atchierements to record» 
My voice ihall raife a dreadftd ydl. 

My bowels burft at ev'ry word : 
Then linen to the baleful found 

That ifiues from my throbbing breaft| 
Thy pride perhaps, it may confound. 

And ^idd my madd'ning foul fom^ reft. 

Let the fnake's hifs and wolTs dire howl. 

The bull's harih note, the lion's roig:. 
The boding crow and fcreeching owl. 

The tempeft rattling on the ihore. 
The monfter's fcream, the turtle's moanj, 

The flirieks of the infnmal crew. 
Be mingled with my dying groan, 

A concert terrible and new! 


90H . QjaiXOfJL 151 

The hearer's fenftpa to appalf 

And reafon from her thronedcpofiB ; 
Such melody will fuit the.gall' 

That from my burmog lifer flows 1 

Old Tagns with his ydow hair. 

And Betis with her olife wreath. 
Shall never echo fnch defpair. 

Or liften to fuch notes of death. 
As here I'll utter and repeat. 

From hil) to dale, from roc^k ^o care, 
In wilds untrod by human feet. 

In dungeons dreary as the grave. 
The beafts of prey that fcour the plain, ' 

Shall thy more' favage nature know. 
The fpacipus earth refonnd my ftrain | 

Such is the privi^ge of woe ! 

Difdain is death, and doubt, d'ertoms , 

The patience of the firmcft miad ; 
But jealoufy ftill fiercer bums. 

Like all the flames of hell combined ! 
The horrors of that curfed fiend» . 

In abfence to diftraftion rage. 
And all the fuceour hope can lend. 

The direful pangs will not afluage» 
Snch agonies will furdy kill ; 

Yet fpite o{ idi>fence, doubts and fcom, 
J live a miracle, and ftill 

Thofe deadly flames within me bum ! 


Hope's fliadow ne'er refrefliM my view, 
Defpair attends with wakafol ftriCes 

The firft let happier fwains purfue^ 
The laft my confort is for life^ 



X¡Z «oil . q^UIX OTA 

Can hope and finir at oiiee pravtui» 

When feas •a cttuimy is fadi 
To íhut mine eyes wiQ not $)rtSi, 

When thunder bnite atound mf head i 
When cold dífdain in native dye 

Appears» and bikMát^ ^iMioíng Ulm 
PerverU the tak «f trudi» Owtt I 

Agatnft defpondengt ftHHt the áoor i 

Ojealoufyl love's tynmt krd» 

And thou fotd-chifltngy dire diMain 1 
Lend me the dagger and the cord» 

To ftab remembrance, fbangk paia^ 
I die bereft of hope in death» 

Yet ftill thofe are the fireeft fonb, 
(in vouch it with my lateft breath) 

Whom love's old tyranny controalk 
Mf &tal enemy is £iir» 

In body and immidd^ IH fay» 
And I have earnf d the met I bear : 

By rigour love majafint the fvay< 

With this opinion let me ftO 

A prey to unrelenttng fcom ; 
No fun'ral pomp ihall grace my pal!» 

No laurel my pale corfe adorn* 
O thou ! whofe cruelty and hate 

The tortures of my breaft proclaim» 
Behold how willingly to fate 

I offer this devoted frame. 
If thou» when 1 am paft all pain, 

Should'ft diittk my (A ddférve» a tear, 
Let not one fingledráp diftatn 

Thofe eyea fo kfllmg and fo clears 


, N<tI ralhcr kt tbj «mtli áiíjimf 

The joys that in thy bofcim 4ow s 
^ ! need I bid that heart be gay 

WKIck always triuinphM in niy woe ? 
Come then for ever bait'd of bKfs, 

Te, who witk caaMeft toiWAit dweO, 
And agqaifiag» tevd, md iub 

la the profoundéft íbadea o£ hell i 
Coi^ef Tantakt» with raging thirft. 

Bring, Syfiphus» tKy rolling flone. 
Come Titius, with thy trnltare curft, 

Nor leave hicn f«dk'd dboc* 

The toüiag fiftcn tMÍbaHj0Ía| 

And my fad^ fokmo dirge repeatf 
When to the grave my friends confign 

Thefe tf mbs denyM a windiog iheet ; 
Kérce CftÁerm fluJi Attdi hia duán. 

In tthobu with chimaeraa dm $ 
What othier pomp» vbat other ftrein j 

Should he who dies of love require i 
Be huih'd my fong» complain no more 

Of her whofe pleafure gave thee birth } 
Bttt let the forrews I deplore ' 

Sk€f with* me in thcr fltott earths 

TUS dkty oí Ckryfoftrai was a|iprated b;r 
aU tbe.bsa4P€r8;:1>at Ik isho reaid it obferted^ 
that it did BOt fton to agree with the. rtpótt 
he had hcavd of MiirceUa'a virtue and: chrcumi 
fpe&ba; inafinoch as the author compfanned 
of jealrafy, abieoct^ wad fofpkion^ which 
tended to the pngodice of her moorals and to- 
putatioiu To'this objeAiDii Ambiofio, as one 
diat waa. acgpamtiert with the moit fecjpet fexu 


154 DO» QLü I X o T s; 

timents of his friend, anfwcned, *^ Signor, for 
your fatisfaólion in this point, it is neceflary 
you fliould know, that the forlorn ihepherd 
compofed this fong in the. abfence of Marcella, 
from whofe prefence he had gone into volun* 
tafy exile, in order to try if he could reap the 
ufual fruits of abfence, and forget the caufe of 
his defpair : and as one in that fituation is apt 
to be*fretted by every circumftance, and in- 
vaded by every appreheniion, poor Chryfoftom 
was harafled by groimdlefs jealoufy and ima-> 
ginary fears, which tormented him as much as 
if they had been real ; for which reafon, this 
circtmiftance ought not to invalidate the .£une 
of Marcella's .virtue^ agatnft which, e?clu£ve 
of her cruelty, arrogance, -and difdain, envy 
itfelf hath not been able to la)r the leaft impu^ 
mion," 

** That may be very true," replied VivaWo, 
who being about to read another of the papers 
he had faved from the flames, was diverted 
from his purpofe by a wonderful viiion^ for 
fiich it feemed, that all of a fudden preiehted 
jtfelf tx> their eyes. This, was no other than 
the ihepherdefs Marcella, who appeared npon 
the top of the rock, juft above the grave diey 
were digging, fo bcaatiful that íhe furpalled all 
Tq)ort. Thofe who had never feen her be- 
fore, gazed with ¿lent admiration ; nor were 
the reft, who had been accuftomed to £ec her. 


DON . a.UIXOT !• 155 

Ie& afioniihed at ber appearance. Butno foon- 
er did Ambrofio perceive her, than with indig* 
nadon in his looks» he cried : 

" Comeft thou hither, fierce baiiliik of thcfe 
mountains ! to fee if the wounds of this un- 
happy youth, whom thy crueky hath ilain, will 
bleed at thy approach ? or art thou come to re- 
joice in the exploits of thy barbarity, and from 
the top of that mountain behold, like another 
Nero, the flames which thy impiety hath kin- 
dled ? or inhumanly to trample upon this un- 
fortunate corfe, as the unnatural daughter in- 
fulted the dead body of her father Tarquin ? 
Tell us at once the caufe of thy approach, and 
deign to fignify thy pleafure, that I who know 
how devoutly Chryfoftom obeyed thee, when 
alive, may, now that he is dead, difpofe his 
firiei^ds to yield the fame obedience." 

^ I come not, anfwered Marcella, for any 
of the purpofes you have mentioned, Ambro- 
¿o ; but rather perfonally to demonftrate how 
unreafonably people blame me for their own 
afflidion, as well as for the death and fuffer- 
ings of Chryfoftom. I beg, therefore, that all 
preicnt will give me the hearing, as it will 
be unneceflary to fpend much time, or wafte 
inany words, to convince thofe that are un- 
prejudiced, of the truth. Heaven, you fay, 
]Mh given me beauty, nay, fuch a Ihare of i^ 


Moompds you to loTe B|e» in ^siteof your ro« 
ibludons to the eontraiy; from wlwikce you 
draw this inference» «id ini^ upon it, that it 
is my duty to return your paifion. By the 
help of. that finall capacity which nature has 
beftowed upon nie, I know that which ¡s haoa» 
tiful is lovely ; but I can by no means con* 
^eive, why the objeft which is beloved £ot 
being beauti&l, is bound to be enamoved of 
its admiier: more efpecnallyas it may hap* 
pen that this fame admirer is an cbjeA of dil^ 
goft and abfaorc^nce; in which caife, would it 
be reafonable in him to lay, ** I love thee be-^ 
eanfe thou art beantifbl, and thoa mnft &vour 
my paffion, although I am disfomied V* But 
granting the beauty eq^ on both fides> it does 
)&ot follow that the defires ought to be mutual ; 
for an forts of beauty do not equally aflt¿^ the 
fpeñator; fome, for example, delighting the 
eye only, without captivating the heart. And 
well it is for maxildiid;^ tliát things anrtfau4 difr 
pofed ;. otlkexwife there wovdd be a fttnfgt per^ 
pleiáty and con&fioa of defires^ wkfaout pow* 
er of daftinguifliing and chufipg panáodar ckh 
jcds ; for beauty being infinitely diverfified, the 
inclination would be: infinitely dmded: Mnd 
I have faoard> that true love mnft be undivided 
and unoonftramed : if thia be the afe, as I be*- 
lieve it is, why Ihould I conftrain my incltm^ 
t^d, when lam under no other obligation fo 
to do, but your ¿ying tiiat you^ ane in kve 


with iBe ? . Othofw^ ttU me, if kcaveo, that 
m^pmt hmdiomc, kad cxtned me a oioofter 
of deformity, (bmH I huve had eaufe to oom^ 
pUia of you for not loviiig me í Befides» you 
an^toiKHiiiderj thut J did iM»t dioofe the bcantjr 
I ppfl^($ } hfih » u ia> God waa pleafed, of hia 
own fr^ will and fatoor» t» beftow it Qpoa me» 
without aay JblicMatioa oA my patt« There*» 
fore, aa the viper deferfes no blame for ita 
iuBgi aihhough it \fe monal, beeaufe it is the 
gift of OAtiire ; «^either ought I to be reviled fee 
being .beauti&l ; £ot beamy in a vtrtuona m^ 
maA i$ tik9 a didant. flame and a iharp fword 
a&r f(f^ which prove ¿Kal to oop« bat thoííe 
wha approach too near them. Honour and 
ñi^ ace the ornamenta of the foul ; without 
which the body, though never fo bandÍMEie, 
ought to iecsDL ugly : if chaftity then be one of 
the virtuea which chiefly adorn and beautify 
both body and i^ul, Wihy (hould ihe that i$ bc^ 
lov^ lolb that jewel for which flie ia chiefly 
belpvAd> nn^ely to fatisfythe appodae of <mo 
who, for his own f^lfiih enjoyment, employa 
bis whole care and iuduilry to deftroy iO I 
waa^ boru free» and to enjoy that freedom» have 
I f hofen the foUtude of thefe fields. The trees 
on thefe mountaina are my companijws ; and 
I have no other mirrour than the limpid 
ftreama of thefe cryftal brooks. With the 
trees md the ilreams I ihare my contempla- 
tion and my beauty ; I am a diftant .flame and 


j¡$ DOÜ iljSlXO'ii. 

a fword aíar off: thofe whom my eyes ha>é 
captrrated my tongue has undeceived ; and if 
hope be the food of defire^ as I gave none tor 
ChryfoftoiQ) or to any other perfcm, fo neither 
can his death, nor that of any other of my ad- 
mirers, be juitly imputed to my cruelty, but 
rather to their own obftinate defpair. Tor 
thofe who obferve that his intentions were ho- 
nourable} and that therefore I was bound to 
comply with them, I anfwer, when he declared 
the honeily of his defigns, in that very fpot 
where now his grave is digging, I told him^ 
my purpofe was to live in perpetiüil folitude, 
and let the earth alone enjoy the fruits df my 
retirement, and the fpoils of my beauty: 
wherefore, if he, notwithftanding this my ex- 
planation, perfevered without hope, and failed 
againft the wind; it is no wonder that ht 
was overwhelmed in the gulph of his ra(h<> 
nefs. Had I cajoled him, I ihould have been 
perfidious : had I gratified his inclination, I 
ihould have a&ed contrary to my own rea<^ 
fon and refolution. But becaufe he perfiil- 
ed after I had explained myfelf, and defpair- 
ed before he had caufe to think I abhorred 
him, I leave you to judge, whether or not it be 
reafonable to lay his misfortune at my door ? 
Let him whom I have deceived complain, and 
let him defpair to whom I have broke my pro« 
mife : if I call upon any man, he may depend 
upon me : if I admit of his. addrefles, he may 


iréjoiee in lits fiiccefs : but why Ihotild I be 
ítíled a barbarous homicide by him whom I 
never foothed, <ieceived, cailled or admitted ? 
Hitherto heaven has not thought fit that I 
(hould love by deftiny; and the world muft 
excufe me from loving by éle¿lion. Let this 
general declaration ferve as an anfwer to all 
thofe who folicit me in particular, aüd^ hence* 
ibrw^rct give them to nnderftand, that whofo^ 
ever dies for me, perilhes not by jcaloufy ot 
difdain> for íhe who never gave her love, can 
never give juil cauie of jealoufy ; neither ought 
her plain-dealing to be interpreted into di& 
dain. Let him who terms me a fierce bafilifk, 
ihun me asan evil being; if any man thicks 
me ungrateful, let him refiife his fervices when 
I afk them. If I have difowned any one, let 
him renounce me in his mm; and let him 
who has found me cruel, abandon me in my 
diñrefs: this fierce bafiliik, this ungrateful, 
cruel, fupercilious. wretch^ will neither feek, 
ferve, own, nor followyon in any ihape What- 
ever% If Ghryfoftom periihed by the impa- 
tience of his own extravagant defire, why 
ihpuld my innocent referve be inveighed a- 
gainil ? If I have prefcrvcd my virginity in 
thefe déía;rts, why ihould he that loves me, 
wiih to fee me lofe it among mankind? I 
have riches of my own, as you all know, and 
.covet no man's wealth : I am free, and will not 
be fubje£led ; I neither Ipve nor hate any man : 


i6ó o o It q^u I X o T s. 

I do hot cigde this one, ixor teize thtti cor do 
I joke with one, or difcourfe with another : but 
amufe myfelf with the cure of tsiy goats, and 
the innoceoi: coa?er£uion of the ihepherdeiXcis 
belonging to the neighbouring villages. Hj 
defires are bounded by tfaefe mountains ; or, 
if my meditation furpafies thefe bounds^, it is 
only to contemplate the bmiity of the heavens, 
thofe ftepa by whkh the feul aficends to its 
original maniion/' So &jing» without wtib- 
¡sg for any reply, (be tuned her back, and 
vaniihed'iato a thicket on aneighbourmg moun-^ 
lain, le^vii^ all that were prefent equally fuf- 
prifed with her beauty and 


Some of the by*{landers bring wounded by 
the powerful ihafta thas were darted from her 
fair eyes, manifefted an indiaalion to foUov 
her, without availing themfefares of the ingenu- 
ous^ declaration they had heard ; which, being 
perceived by Don Qgixote, who thought this 
a proper oceafion for eieercifing his chivalry, 
. in defence of diftreflcd damfelfi ; he laid his 
hand upon the hilt of his fword, and in a. loiiy 
and audible voice, pronounced, '* iiCt no per- 
fon, of whatfoever rank or degree, prefume to 
follow the beautiful Marcella, on pain of in- 
curring my moft iurious indignation» She has 
demonitrated, by clear and undeniable argu- 
ments, how little, if at all, ihe is to be blamed 
for the death of Chry foftom ; and how averfe 


» o li Q^Ü I X o t í. i6l 

Ihe is to comply with the defires of any of 
her. admirers; for which reafon, inftead of 
beipg purfued and perfecuted, Ihe ought to be 
honoured and efteemed by all virtuous men, 
as the only perfon in the univerfe who lives ia 
fuch a.chafte and laudable intention." Whe- 
ther it was owing to thefe menaces of the 
knight, or to the advice of Ambrofe, who. de- 
fired diem td perform the laft office to their 
deceafed friend, not one of the ihepherds at- 
tempted to ftir £x>m the fpot, until the grave 
being finiihed, and the papers burnt, the body 
of poor Chty foftom was interred, not with- 
out abundance of tears ihed by his furviving 
companions. The grave was fecured by a 
large fragment of the rock which they rolled 
upon it, till fuch time as a tombrftonc could 
be made, under the diredion of Ambrbfe, 
who was refolved to have the following epitaph 
engn^ved.upon iti ^ . 

The body cf a Wtetchcd fwain, 
- KiU'd by a cruel maid's difdaid. 

In this cold bed negleded lies» 
He liv'd, fond, haplefa youth ! to prove, 
Th' inhuman tyranny of love. 

Exerted ia Marcella's eyes* - 

Having ilrewed the place with a proiufion 
of flowers and branches, every body prefent 
condoled, and took leave of the afflié^ed exe- 
cutor ; and Don Qgizote bade farewell to his 
kind landlords, as well as to the travellers^ 

Vol. I. M 


l6a DON Q^UIXOTB. 

who would have perfuaded him to accompsuiy 

them to Seville» which, they faid» was a city 
fo well adapted for adventures, that they oc- 
curred in every fireet, nay, at the corner of 
every blind alley. Our hero thanked them 
moft courteoofly for their advice, and the indi^ 
nation they czprelléd to give Urn pkaiiire ; but 
aifiued them» he neither could nor would let 
out for Seville, until he ihould have cleared 
thcfe deikrts of the robbers and banditti, of 
whom they were reported to be foil. 

The travellers íeeii^ íám tha hmdably ¿e^ 
termined^ importuned him no forther, bui^ 
taking leave of him anew, purfoed their jour* 
ney, during which they did not fail to difcuf» 
the.ftory of Marcella and Chiyfoilom, as well 
as the madnefs- of Don G^ixote, vrhcs <m his 
part, f efolved to go in queft of the foepherdefs^ 
and offer her all the fervice in hi« power : but 
this fcheme did not turn out according to his 
ezpedation, as wSl be related in the courfe of 
this faithful hifiory, the feoond book of which 
is here condudedr 


'I' - ' - I -- '. ■■ I 1 nm win, ■»■! r , , ■,,! m 


THB 


ATCHIEVEMBNTS 


•V rir# lifOX AMD FdltAHt MNtCBt 


DON CLU I X O T E 

D£ LA MANCHA. 


PART L BOOK m. 


<mtmm 


C tí A P. L 

tybiTiin it recoiMid the unbtíkf adointun tilhích hap^ 
pemd tff Dm ^icm^ m mating with aftéi^ M* 
mtrcifyi Yangoijiam. 

. TH£ fáge €Sd Hariiet Bc»engeli irelates, that 
DwL Q^JEote, bftvitíg bid atdieti to his enter* 
tainejrs^ and to aH who were pitfent at the fu- 
neral of the fiiepherd Chr yfoftom, entered» 
with his fquife, the fame wúod to which Mar- 
cella had retreated; where, when they had 
wandered about upwarda of two hoars, witb- 
ott feeing her, they chanced to find themfelvea 
in a defightfbl fpot, overgrown with ver&nt 
grafe^ and watextd by a cool »d piealant 


1^4 DON Q^U I X O T £. 

ftream ; which was fo inviting as to inda<*e 
them to ftay in it during the heat of the day» 
that now began to be very fultry ; the knight 
and fquire therefore difmounting, and leaving 
the afe and Rozinante at pleafure to regale 
themfelves with the rich pafture, emptied their 
knapfack, and, without any ceremony, at- 
tacked the contents, which they ate together 
like good friends, layii:^ afide all vain diftinc- 
tion of mailer and man. 

Sanóho had been at no pains to tether Rozi- 
nante, fecure, as he thought, in knowing him 
to be fo meek and peaceable, that all the mares 
in the meadows of Cordova could not provoke 
his concupifcenc^4 Chance, however, or the 
devil, who is not often found napping, ordered 
it fo, as that a drove of Gallician fillies belong- 
ing to certain Yanguefian carriers, happened, 
at that very inflant, to be feeding in the fame 
valley ; for it being the cuñom of theie peo- 
ple to halt and refreih themfelves and their 
beads in places where there is plenty of water 
and grafs, they could not have lighted on a 
more convenient fpoc than that where Don 
Qgixote chanced to be. It was then that Ro- 
zinante, feized with an inclination to folace 
himfelf with fome of thoie íkittiíh femalesi» no 
fooner had them in the wind, than deviadug 
from his natural difpofition and accuftomed 
deliberation, without aiking leave of his lord 


DOM Qjüixor% 165 

and mailer,, he went oíF at a fmall trot, to 
communicate his occafions to the obje&s of 
his delire. Bat they, it feems, more fond of 
their pafture than of his addrefles, received 
him fo uncivilly with their hoofs and teeth, 
that in a twinkling, his girth was broke, his 
faddle kicked off, and he himfelf remained in 
cuerpo. But what he chiefly fuffered was from 
the carriers, who feeing violence offered to 
their mares, ran to their ailiftance with long 
ftaves, which they exercifed upon him fo un- 
mercifully, that he fell proftrate to the ground^ 
almoft battered to death. 

The knight and Sancho feeing their fteed 
thus baftinadoed, made all the hafte they could 
to his refcue ; the former addrelling the latter 
in this manner, *' I perceive, friend Sancho» 
that thefe are no knights, but fellows of low 
degree and infamous defcent : this particular 
I mention, becaufe thou mayeft now aifiil me» 
in taking juft vengeance upon them, for the in- 
jury they have done to Rozinante before my 
fiice." " What a devil of vengeance can we pre- 
tend to take, anfwered the fquire, when they are 
more than twenty, and we but two ? Nay, I be- 
lieve, if it was put to the trial, no better than one 
and a half.'^ '* Myfelf am worth an hundred 
of fuch vagabonds," cried Don Qjiixote ; and 
without uttering another fyllable, he uniheath** 
fid his fword, and aflaulted the Yanguefians^ 


l66 DON Q.UIXOT& 

being Deconded by Sancbo, who fufi^md him« 
lelf to be roused and encouraged by the ensh 
pie of his mailer : and indeed the kA^^bt lent 
the firft he met with fuch a hearty firoke» an 
laid open a leathern jacket he wore, tc^ethcr 
with a laige portion of hia ihoulder. 

The carriers feeing themlelye» thua malt, 
t»ated by two men only, took the benefit of 
their numbers, and ran to fuftain one another 
with their ftaves; then furrounding the two 
aflailants, began to drum upon their carcafes 
with infinite eagemefs and dexterity. True it 
is, at the fecond application, Sancho fell to the 
earth ; a misfortune that aUb happened to hia 
mafter ; who, in fpite of all his own addrefs, 
together with the afliftance of his. good friend, 
foon found himfelf ftretched at the feet of Ro- 
zinante, who had not as yet been able to rife ; 
from whence we may learn what furious exe- 
cution is often done by packftavea, when ma<^ 
naged by the hands of fuch enraged clowns. 

The carriers, perceiving the havock they 
had made, thought proper to load again with 
all difpatch, and purfue their journey, leaving 
our adventurers in miferable plight and dole-i 
iul dilemma. The firft that recovered the ufe 
of hia fenfes was Sancho Panza, who finding 
himfelf laid along by the £de of his mafter, 
pronounced, with a weak and lamentable voice» 


1>0H QJJ 1 X O T B. iS^ 

*^ Sir Don Qjiixote ! ah Sir Don Q{iixote \^ 
** What wouldft thou have, brother Sancho ?^ 
replied the knight^ in the fame feeble and com* 
plaining tone* '* I wiih, refumed Sancho, your 
worlhip would, if it be poffible, comfort me 
with a couple of gulps of that fame balfam 
made by Fairy Plas, if you have got any of it 
about you: perhaps it may be ferviceabk in 
bruifes and broken bones, as well as in wounds 
and running fores." ** Would to God I had 
it here, imfortuoate wight that I am ! cried Don 
Qgixote, but I fwcar to thee, Sancho, on the 
faith of a knight-errant, that ere two days pafs, 
if fome mifchieyous accident does not intervene, 
I will have it in my pofieflion, if my hands 
do not very much mifgive me.'* '* In how 
many days does your worihip think we iliall 
be able to move our feet?" faid the fquire* 
" With regard to myfelf, anfwcred the battered 
knight, I really cannot fix any number of 
days; but this I know, that I alone am to 
blame for what has happened, in condefcend^ 
ing to ufe my fword againft antagonifts who 
were not dubbed and knighted like myfelf. 
I therefore firmly believe, that as a puniihment 
for having tranfgreflcd tlie laws of chivalry, 
the God of battles hath permitted me to re^ 
ccive this difgraceful chaftifement : for which 
reafon, brother Sancho, it is proper that thou 
Ihouldft be apprifed of what I am going to 
fay, as it may be of great imporunce to the 


l68 DON q^UIXOTE. 

fafety of us both : whenever thdu Ihalt fee us 
infulted or aggrieved for the future, by fuch 
rafcally fcum, thou ihalt not wait for my draw- 
ing upon them, for I will in no ihape meddle 
with fuch unworthy foes; but lay thy hand 
upon thy fword, and with thy own arm chzU 
tife them to thy heart's content : but ihould 
any knights make up to their defence and ailift- 
ance, then ihall I know how to prote¿l thee, 
and aíTault; them, with all my might ; and thou 
art already convinced, by a thoufand amazing 
proofs, how far extends the valour of this my 
invincible arm/' So arrogant was the poor 
knight become by his vi&ory over the valiant 
Bifcayan« 

This wholefome advice, however, was not fa 
much reliihed by Sancho, but that he replied, 
** Sir, I am a quiet, meek, peaceable man, and 
can digeft any injury, be it never fo hardj 
for I have a wife and laiall children to maiui 
tain and bring up: wherefore, let me alfo 
apprife (fince I cannot lay my commands 
upon) your worihip, that I will in no ihape 
whatever ufe my fword againft either knight or 
knave ; and that henceforward, in the fight of 
God, I forgive all injuries pall, prefent, or to 
come, which I have already received, at this 
prefent time fuffer, or may hereaiter underga, 
from any perfon whatfoever^ high or low, rich 


DON Q^U I X O T E, l$^ 

or poor, gentle or fimple, without exception to 
rank or circumftance," 

His mafter hearing this declaration» an^ 
fwered, ^ I wiih the grievous pain I feel in this 
rib would abate a little, fo as that I could fpeak 
for a few moments with eafe, and convince 
thee of thy damnable error. Panza. Hark ye 
me, finner! fuppofe the gale of fortune, which 
hath been hitherto fo adverfe, fliould change in 
our favour, and fwelling the fails of our defire, 
Condu£i us fafely, without the leaft impedi- 
ment, into the haven of fome one of thofe 
iilaads which I have promifed thee*— «what 
would become of thy wretched affairs, if^ after 
I had won and given it into thy poilefiion, thou 
fliouldft fruftrate my intention, by thy lack of 
knighthood, ambition, valour and courage to 
revenge thy wrongs, or defend thy govern* 
ment ? for I would have thee to know, that in 
all new-conquered kingdoms or provinces, the 
friends of their natural mailers are never fo 
quiet or reconciled to their new fovereign, as 
to difpel all fear of fome freih infurreélion to 
alter the government again, and, as the faying 
is, try fortune once more : it is therefore re* 
quifite that the new poíIeíTor fliould have un<* 
derftanding to govern, refolution to puniih, 
and valour to defend himfelf, in cafe of any 
fuch accident," 


170 DOir Q^UIXOTE. 

^ In this laft accident which hath beÉdl- 
en us, faid Sancho, I wiih the Lord had pleaf- 
cd to give me that fame underftanding and va* 
lour your worlhip mentions: but I proteft, 
upon the word of a poor finner, that I am at 
preíént more fit for a fearcloth than ibch con* 
veriatiop* See if your worlhip can make flúñ 
to rife, and then we will give fome aififtance to 
Kozinante, tbo' it be more than he deferves; 
£ar he was the principal caufe of all this plaguy 
rib-roafting: never could I believe fuch a 
thing of Rozinante, who, I always thought^ 
was as chafie and fober a perfon as myfelf : but 
this verifies the common remark, that you muft 
keep company a long time with a m|in before 
you know him thoroughly; md that there is 
nothing certun in this li&. Who could have 
thought that thofe huge back^ftrokes your wor<> 
ihip dealt fo heartily to the unlucky traveller, 
would be followed, as it were poft-haile, by 
fuch a mighty tempeft of blows, as juft now 
difcharged itfelf upon our Ihouldcrs." ** Thy 
carcaie, Sancho, faid Don Quixote, was form* 
ed for enduring fiich rough weather ; but my 
limbs were tenderly nurfed in foft wool and 
fine linen ; and therefore muft feel more fenfi* 
bly the pain of this difcomfimre ; and if I did 
not believe (believe, laid I) if I were not cer* 
tain, that all thefe inconveniencies are infepa- 
rably annexed to the ezercife of arms, I would 
lie ftill where I am, and die with pure vexation. 


DON HJO I X O T Xt X^l 

To tbis proteiUtion the fqaire replied» ^ See» 
iog tbefe miyfortunes are the nataral crops of 
chivalry, pray, good your worlhip, do they 
happen at. all time» of the year, or only fall 
at an appointed ieafon ? becaufe, in my fimple 
conjeéiure, two fuch hanrefts will leave us 
altogether incapable of reaping a third, if 
Cod, of his infinite mercy> will not be pleaf* 
ed to fend us extraordinary fiiccour/* " Thou 
mull know, friend Sancho, anfwered Don 
Qliixote, that the life of a knight*errant is 
fubjc¿l to a thoufand dangers and miihaps; 
but then he enjoys the felf«iame chance of be^» 
ing a king or emperor, as experience demon* 
ftrates to have been the cafe of divers and fun« 
dry knights, the hiftory of whole lives I am 
perfeAly well acquainted with; and I could 
now relate, if this pain would give me leave, 
the fortunes of fome, who, by their valour 
alone, have rifen to that fupreme degree : and 
thofe very perfona, both before and after their 
fuccefs, have undergone various calamities and 
^iéition; witnefs the valiant Amadis de Gaid, 
who faw himfelf in the power of his mortal 
enemy Arcalaus the enchanter, of whom it is 
pofitively affirmed, that while the knight was 
his prifoner, he caufed him to be bound to a 
pillar in his court-yard, and gave him two 
hundred ftripes with the reins of his horfe's 
bridle. There is likewife a ceruin fecret au^ 
thor of no fmall credit, who relates, that (^ 


J72 DON Q^UIXOTE. 

knight of the fun was caught in a trap in a cer« 
tain caftle, and £dliug, found himfelf tied hand 
and foot in a deep dungeon below ground, 
where was adminiftered unto him one of thofe 
things they call glyilers, compofed of fand 
and water, which had well nigh coft him his 
life ; and if he had not been fuccoured in that 
perilous conjun^re by a fage, who was his 
good friend, the poor knight would have fared 
very ill* Wherefore, what hath happened to 
me, may eafily pafs unheeded, among thofe 
much greater affronts that fuch worthy people 
have undergone: befides, I would have thee 
know, Sancho, that it is never reckoned an 
affront to be wounded by thofe inftruments 
which are cafually in the hands of our ene- 
mies ; for it is ezprefly mentioned in the laws 
of duelling, that if a ihoemaker beats a man 
with a laft he has by accident in his hand, the 
man cannot properly be laid to be cudgelled, 
although the faid laft was made of wood. This 
particular I mention, that thou may'ft not fup- 
pafe us affronted, altho' we have been mauled 
in this unlucky fray; for the weapons with 
which thofe men threihed us fo feverely, were 
no other than their own packftaves ; and fo far 
as I can remember, there was neither tuck, 
poignard, nor fword among them." 

^* They did not give me time, anfwered San* 
chOp to make any fuch obiervation : for fcarce 


ÜOK Q^ÜIXOTÉ. 173 

bad I laid my fingers upon my * Toledo, when 
there rained a üiower of cudgels upon my poor 
ihoulders, that baniihed the light from my 
eyes^ and ftrength from my feet, and laid me 
flat upon the fpot where I now lie, not fo 
much concerned about thinking whether this 
drubbing be an affront or not, as about the in- 
tolerable pain of the blows, which remain im- 
printed upon my memory as well as upon my 
carcafe/* " Notwithftanding all this com- 
plaining, faid the knight, I aver, brother San- 
cho, that there is no remembrance which time 
does not efiace, nor pain, that death does not 
remove." " And pray, what greater misfor- 
tune can there be, anfwered Sancho, than that 
which nothing but time can remove, or death 
put a flop to ? If this mifliap of ours were fuch 
a one as might be cured with a couple of fnips 
of fearcloth, it would not be altc^ether fo vexa- 
tious ; but fo £ir as I can fee, all the plafter of 
an hofpital will not be fufficieut to fet us cle- 
verly on our legs again/' 

«Truce with thy refledlions, replied Don 
Q}iixote, and colleÁing ftrength out of weak- 
nefs, as I will endeavour to do, let us rife and 
examine Rozinante^s cafe ; for, in all appear- 
ance, ÚIC poor beaft háth not fuff^red the kaft 

* Tixooa» which is the word in the original, is a romantic name 
^ven to the fword that belonged to Roderick Diaz de Bivar, the fa- 
tuam Spaniih general againft the Moors. 


174 DON QJUIXOTB* 

pan of the misfortune." ^^ That is not to be 
wondered at, faid the fqaire, he being a knight- 
errant alfo ; but what furprifes me moft is, that 
my Dapple ihould get off without paying his 
fcore, when we are fcored all over.*' " Dcf- 
tiny, when one door is ihut, always leares 
another open, as a refooree in all calamities, 
faid Don Qgixote : this I obTenre becaufe thy 
afs wilL now fapply the place of Rozinant^ 
and carry me from hence to fome caftle, where 
my wounds may be cured ; more efpecially as 
ibeh carriage will be no diíhonour to chivalry : 
£bf I remember to have read, that the good old 
Silenus, tutor and companion of the jolly God 
of mirth and wiiie, entered the city of the 
hundred gates, lolling at hb eafe upon a moft 
homely afs." " It may be very true, that he 
rode upon an afs, replied Sancho ; but there is 
fcMne difference, I apprehend, between riding 
and lying acrofs the beaft like a bag of dirt." 
To this obfeivation the knight anfwered, 
'^ Thofe wounds which are received in battle, 
may well give, but can never deprive one of 
honour : therefore, friend Sancho^ do as I bid 
tbee, without further reply ; get up as well as 
thou canft, and lay me upon Dapple juft as 
thou fiialt find moil convenient, that we may 
be gone before night comes to ferprife us in 
this unfrequented place." 

'' And yet, faid Sancho, I have heard your 
worttiip remark^ that it is ufual for knights- 


OOV Q^UIXOTB. 17^ 

errant to fleep upon commons and heaths the 
greateft part of the year ; ay, and to be thank- 
fal for their good fisrtune in being able fo to 
do/' ^ Yes, fsud the knight, when they can 
do no better, or are in love : and this is fo true, 
that there was a knight who lay upon a bare 
rock, ezpofed to the fultry noon and midnight 
damps, with all the inclemencies of the wea« 
dier, during two whole years, before his mif« 
treis knew any thing of the matter : this was 
no other than Amadis, who, afiuming the name 
of Beltenebros^ took up his quarters upon the 
naked rock, &r the fpace of either eight years, 
or eight months, I really do not remember 
which; only that he remained doing penance 
In that place, for ibme difguft ihewn to him by 
his dame Oriana : but truce with this conver-* 
farion, Sancho, and make hafte, befere fucb 
another accident can happen to thy beaft, as 
that which hath already befallen Rozinante." 

*' Odds my life ! that would be the devil in- 
deed,'' cried Sancho, who uttering thirty ah's 
and fixty oh's ! together with a hundred and fif- 
ty ola's ! and curfes upon him who had brought 
him to that pafs, raifed himfelf up, tho' he 
could not for his foul fiand upright, but, ia 
fpite of all his efforts, remained bent like a 
Turkilh bow ; and in that attitude, with infi. 
Bite labour, made Ihift to equip his afs, which 
had alfo gone a little aftray, prefuming upon 


176 DOM QJJ IXOTt. 

the ezcefiive licence of the time ; he then lift** 
ed up Rozinante, who, could he have found a 
tongue to complain with, would certainly have 
furpaíTed both his mafter and Sancho in la- 
mentation: in Ihort» the fquire difpofed of 
Don Qtiixote upon the afs, to whofe tail Rozi* 
nante was tied; then taking his own Dapple 
by the halter, jogged on fometimes &[ler, 
fometimes flower, towards the place where he 
conje¿lured the high road to lie : and indeed, 
they had not exceeded a (hort league, when, by 
good luck, which now feemed to take the ma- 
nagement of their affairs, they arrived at the 
highway, and difcovered an inn, which» to San- 
cho's great grief, was miitaken for a cafUe by 
the joyful knight. This difference of opinion 
begat an obflinate difpute, that lafted until 
they arrived at the place, into which Sancho 
immediately conveyed his cai^o, without fiir- 
ther expoflulation. 


CHAR II. 

The advsnture that happened to this fagactous knight at 
the innj which be mftookfir a cajtte. 

The inn-keeper feeing Don Quixote laid 
athwart the afs, aiked what was the matter ? to 


DOM Q^UIXOTC. 177 

Vfhich interrogation^ Sancho replied, ^* No« 
thing but a &w bniifes which my mailer has 
received in a iall from a rock in this neigh- 
bourhood. The landkdjr, who diifered in dif- 
poiition from moft of your inn-keepers' wives, 
being naturally charitable and fympathifing 
with the calamities of her fellow-creatures, 
came running to the relief of the battered 
knight, and brought her daughter, who was 
a very handfome girl, to aflift in taking care of 
her gueft. There was in the lame houfe, a 
fervant maid from the Afturias, remarkable 
for her capacious countenance, beede-brow'd, 
fiat-nofed, blind of one eye, and bleared in 
the other ; true it is, the gentility of her fliape 
made amends for her other defeds ; ihe was 
fomething ihort of feven hands from head to 
foot, and moreover, encumbered fo much by 
her ihoulders, that ihe was obliged to contem- 
plate the duft beneath her feet oftener than ihe 
could have wiihed. 

This comely creature, with the al&iVance of 
the other damfel, made up a fort of fofry bed 
for our hero in a garret, which gave evident 
tokens of having been formerly an hay-loft, 
and in which at that time a certain carrier had 
taken up his quarters, in a bed of his own 
making, a little on one fide our knight's : and 
thoi^h his couch was coiiipofed of the pannels 
and furniture of his mules^ it had greatly the 

Vol. I. N 


jfjZ DON q^u I X o T s. 

advantage over Don QgixoteX which confifted 
enly of four rough boards, fupported on two 
benches of unequal height, covered by a mat* 
trefsy fo thin it might have pafied for a quih, 
90X0 full of knots fo hard as to be mifiaken for 
pebble ilones, had not the wool appeared thro' 
divers openings ; with a couple of flieets made 
of bull's hide, and a blanket fo bare that you 
night have counted every thread, without 
lofing one of the reckoning. 

In this wretched bed, Don Q|ñxote having 
laid himlelf down, waa anointed from head 
to foot by the good woman and her daughter, 
while Maritornes (that waa the Afturian's 
name) ftood hard by holding a light. The 
landlady, in the coarfe of her application, 
perceiving the knight'a whole body black and 
blucj obferved that thofe marks feemed rather 
the efic^ of a drubbing than of a fiJl; but 
Sancho affirmed ihe was miftaken; and that 
the marks in queftion were occafioned by 
the knobs and comers of the rocks among 
which he fell: '' And no^w I think of i^ 
faid he, pray» madam, manage mattera £b as to 
leave a little of your ointment, for it will be 
neededi I'U aflure you ; my own loins are none 
of the foundeft at prdent." " What ! did you 
fall tooF' faid ft». «I can't iky I did, an. 
fwered the iquire» but I waa fo infeAed by fee- 
ing my mailer tumble, that my whole body 


DOM <IV I X T S. 179 

aclies fts much as if I had been cudgelled with* 
out mercy." " That may very eafily happen, 
cried the daughter ! I myfelf have often dream- 
ed that I wsiis falling from a high tower, with- 
out ever coming to the groimd; and upon 
waking, have felt myfelf bruifed and battered, 
as if I had a¿hially got a great fall/* " Ah, 
miñrefs ! replied the fquire, here is the point ; 
I, without dreaming at all ; but, on the contra- 
ry, being as broad awake as I am this preci- 
ous minute, found almoft as many marks upon 
my own íhóulders, as you have obfervcd upon 
thofc of my mailer Don Quixote/' " What is 
the name of that knight P' laid the Afhirian. 
^ Don Qgixote de la Mancha, anfwered the 
fquire ; he is a knight-advenmrer, and one of 
the greateft and moft valiant that have been 
fccn in this world for many ages." ** And 
what is a knight-adventurer?" refiimed the 
wench* " Are you ftieh a fuckling as not to 
know that ? cried Sancho ; well. 111 tell you, 
miftrefs of mine, a knight-adventurer is a 
thing, that before you can count a couple, 
may be kicked and be crowned : to-day he is 
the moft defpicable and be^arly wretch upon 
earth, and to-morrow he will have a brace 
of kingdoms to beftow upon his fquires.'' 
^ Methinks, faid the landlady, feeing you ap- 
pertain to fiich a great man, you ought to 
be a count at leaft." '' All in good time, re- 
plied Sancho, we have been out a month in 


j8o don q^uixotb. 

fearch of adventures, and have found none 
worth naming; be&dea, people fometimes go 
in queft of one thing, and meet with another : 
indeed, if my mafter Don Quixote gets well of 
this drubbing — (fidl I mean) and I my&lf 
efcape without being crippled, I won't barter 
my hopes for the beft lordihip in Spain»" 

The knight, having liftened attentively to 
this whole converiation, fat up in his bed 
as well as he could, and taking his landlady 
by the hand, *' Believe me, beautiful lady» 
laid he, you niay account yourfelf extremely 
happy, in having within your caftle my per- 
fon as your gueft, fiich a gueft, that if I praife 
him not, it is on account of the common lay- 
ing, that felf-commendation is in effed felf- 
difpraife* My fquire, however, will intimaj^ 
who I am ; while I content myfelf with ailur- 
ing you, that I will, to all eternity, preferve en- 
graven upon the tables of my memory the bene- 
volence you this day vouchfafed unto me, that 
I may be grateful for the favour, as long as life 
Ihall remain. And, oh! that it pleafed yon 
heaven fupreme, that love had not fo vanq^ifli- 
cd and enilaved my heart to the triumphant 
eyes of the beautiful ingrate, whom I now 
mention between my teeth, but that the charms 
of this amiable young lady could be the author 
of my freedoib." 


DOW Q^ÜIXOTE. i8r 

ft 

The good woman, her daughter, and the 
gentle Maritornes, were aftonilhed at this rhap- 
fody, which they underftood as much as if it 
had been delivered in Greek ; though they 
could eafily comprehend, that the whole of it 
tended to compliment and proffers of fenrice : 
as they were therefore altogether unaccuftomed 
ft> fuch language, they gazed at him with ad- 
miration, as a perfon of a different fpecies 
from other men^ and haying thanked him for 
his courtefy, in their tapfter phrafe, left him to 
his repofe ; while the Aflurian Maritornes zd^ 
intniftered to Sancho, who had as much need 
of affiftance as his mailer. 

' She and the carrier had made an aflignatíon 
to divert themfelves that night; nay, fliehad 
given her word that as foon as the company 
ihottld be quiet, and her mailer and miftrefs 
afleep, flie Ihould vifit him in the dark, and 
give him all the fatisfadion he defired ; and 
indeed it is recorded, for the honour of this 
good creature, that ihe never fiiiled to perform 
her promifes of that kind pundually, sdthough 
they had beeii made in the midft of a heaüi, 
and out of the hearing of all evidence : for 
ihe valued herfelf much upon her gentility, 
and did not look upon it as any affront to be 
fervant at an inn, becaufe, ihe obferved, difap 
pointments and misfortunes had reduced her 
to that condition. 


The bed of Dpn Qgixotc^ iifhich we have 
deicribed fo. bard, ib narrow» crazy and un- 
comfortable» flood ibreaioft» and exa¿lly in the 
middle of tbis nunous hay-loft ; bard by had 
3aiicbo taken up bis quarten» upon a rufli mat^ 
covered with a n^ which feemed to be manu^ 
^¿baxf d of )ienqp xather than wool j and Uft 
of all was the earrier'g couch» compoied, as 
we have already laid» of the pannels and for* 
^ituxe of his two bell moles ; for he had no 
kfs than twelve plmnp, fleek and notable 
beails, being one of the richeil carriers in 
Arevaloi according to the report of the aothor 
of this hiftory, wh^ makes particular mention 
of him, and fays he knew him perfe^y well ; 
]Aay, fcHne go ib far as to affirm» that he was his 
diftant relation ; be this as it will. Cid Hamet 
Benengeli was a moft curious hiilorian» and 
puntual to admiration» as appears from what 
}iath been related» which, though in itfelf 
mean and trivial, he would by no means pais 
over in £lence« This ought to lerve as an ex-* 
ample to thofe iinportant and weighty hiilo- 
rians, who recount events fo fiiccin^y and 
fuperficially, that the reader can fcarce g^t a 
üúsick of them; while the mod fubftantial 
circumftances are left, as it were, in the ink- 
liorn, through careielTaefs, ignorance and ma* 
lice. A thoiKlsuid times bleíl be the authors of 
Tab^i^te a9d Ricam<mte, and he that com- 
piled that other book, in which are recounte4 


th6 átchi0^ment8 of taom Tomillas ! How 
j^nflually liave they defcribed the moft mi<« 
nute particular f-^ut to retorn to our ftory. 

The earlier having tifeied his cattle, and 
given them ihelr night's allowance, Ibetched 
himfelf upto his pannels, in expcAation of the 
Aoft faithful Maritornes ; while Sancho, plaf* 
tei^d all over» and huddled up in his kennel» 
endeavoured with all his might to fleep ; but 
At flchii^ of his libs would by no means al- 
low him to enjoy that fatisfá¿lion ; and Don 
Qgizote, for the fame uncomfortable reafon, 
lay like a hare with hii eyes wide open. A 
ptofound filenee reigned throughout the whole 
houfe, in which there was no other light than 
a lamp ftuck up in the paffage ; and this won* 
derfiil quiet, together with thofe reflexions 
which always occurred to our knight, relating 
fo the events continually recorded in the books 
of chivalry, that firft difordered his under-* 
ftanding ; I fay, thofe refleéKons fuggefted to 
his fancy, one of the ftrang^eft whims that evet 
entered a man's imagination. This was no 
other than a full per fuafidn that he was arrived 
%t fbme famous caille ; for, as we have before 
obferved, all the inns he lodged Bt feemed caf^ 
dea to him ; and that the landlord's daughter 
was the govemor^s only child, who, captivated 
by his genteel appearance, was become deeply 
enamoured of him, and had a¿b]ally promi&d 


184 ^ ^ *• ^^ ^ ^ ^ "^ "^ 

ta come, without the knowledge of her pa^ 
rents, and pafs the beft part of the night in 
bed with him. Believing therefore this chi-^ 
mera (which was the work of his own brain) 
to be a firm and undoubted &&, he began to 
TCÜC& with extreme anxiety upon, the danger^ 
ous dilemma into which his virtue was like 
to be drawn ; and refolved, in his hear^ (o^ 
commit no treafon againft his miftrefs Dulci- 
nea del Tobofo ; even though queen Ginebra 
herfelf, and the lady Qg,intaniona Ihould makc^ 
him a tender of their favours. 

While his mind was engrofied by thefe ex« 
travagant fancies, the hour of afiignation ar« 
rived, and an unlucky hour it was for him, 
when the kind Afturian, barefoot and in her 
fmock, having her hair tucked up under a fuf- 
tian night-cap, entered the apartment in which 
the three guefts were lodged, and with ñlence 
and caution dire¿led her iteps towards the neft 
of her beloved carrier. But, fcarce had ihe 
got within the door, when her approach was 
perceived by our knight, who, fitting up in hift 
bed, in fpite of his plafters and the aching of 
his ribs, ftretched forth his arms to receive 
this beautiful young lady, who, on her part 
holding in her breath, moved foftly on her 
tiptoes, groping her way with her hands be« 
fore her. 


While flie thus crept along, in queft of her 
lover» ihe chanced to come within armsJength 
of Don G^ixote, who laid fait hold of her by 
the wrift» and without her daring to fpeak a 
fyllable, pulled her towards him» and made 
her fit down* upon his bed; he then felt her 
(knock, which, though made of the coarfeft 
^anvas^ to him feemed a ihift of the fined and 
(ofteft laMna; the firing of glafs beads ihe wote 
about her wrift, in his apprehenfion, óutíhone 
the brighteft oriental pearl: her hair» which 
bore fome refemblance to a horfe's mane, he 
mifiook for threads of pure Arabian gold, that 
even eclipfed the fplendor of the fun ; and her 
breath, which doubtlefs fmelt ftrong of broken 
meat and garück, his fancy converted into an 
aromatic flavour, proceeding from her delicate 
mouth: in fiiort his imagination reprefented 
her in the fame form and fimation with that of 
a certain priocefs, recorded in one of his 
books^ who came to vifit a wounded knight of 
whom (he was enamoured ; with all the other 
embellilhments there defcribed. Nay, fuch 
was the infatuation of this poor gentleman, that 
he was not to be undeceived, either by the 
touch, the breath, or any other circumftance of 
this honeft wench, though they were powerfiil 
enough to difcompofe the ftomach of any body 
but a rampant carrier. 

But our knight believed he folded in his arms 
the goddefs of beauty, and {training her ux 


|86 PON Q^UIXOTB» 

hU embrtce» b^aa to pronounce, in a ibft and 
amorous tone, '^ Would to heaven ! I were fo 
circumftanced, beautiful and high4x>m lady ! 
as to be able to repay the tranfcendant &¥oar 
beftowed upon me, in the contenqpladon of 
your amazing charms : but it hath pkafed £br^ 
tune, that never ceafes to perfiecuDe dbe virtuous, 
to lay me upon this bed, fo bmi&d and battered, 
that even if it was my defire tp gratify yours, 
I ihould find it utteriy impoffible; how much 
more fo, when that impoffibility is linked to 
another ilill greater? I mean the plighted 
&ith I have vowed to the peerlefs Dulcinea dei 
Tobofo, the fole miftreis of my moft hiddea 
thoughts : did not that confideration interpofe, 
I ihould not be fuch a fimple knight as to let 
flip this happy occa£on which your beDevo<« 
lence hath tendered to my choice*" 

Maritornes^ fweating with vexadon to . find 
herfelf thus pinioned, as it were, by the knigfaty 
whofe difcourfe ihe neither heeded nor under* 
fiood ; endeavoured, virithout anfwering a fyl« 
lable, to diiengage herfelf from his embrace : 
while the honeft carrier, whofe lewd defires 
kept him awake, and made him perceive his 
doxy from the moment ihe entered, liftened 
attentively to every thing that Don Q^ixoce 
faid ; and being jealous that the Afinrian had 
broke her promife to him, in order to keep it 
with another, crept nearer the bed of his rival, 


DON Qja ixort^ l8^ 

CO wait the iifiie of this rhaplbdf, the meaniiig 
of .which he could not comptdbead ; obferv^ 
ing, howeYcr, that the we^ch íhiiggled to get 
looft, aad that the knight endeavoured to de- 
uin her, be could not relUh the joke, bat lift* 
isig his arm on high, dtichargied fuch a ter<* 
rible blow on the lanthom jawa of the ena* 
moured Don^ as bathed his whole countenance 
In blood ; and not fatisfied with this applica^ 
tioa> jumped \jpaa his ribs, as4 trarelled over 
his whole carcafe, at a pace fomewhat exceed* 
ing that of a briík trot, until the bed, which 
was none of the ftrongeft, either in materials 
or fsondadon, unable to ñrflain the additional 
weight, funk to the ground with both; and 
made fuch a hideous noife in its fall, as afwak* 
ed the inn-keeper, who immediately concluded 
that Maritornes was concerned in the adren-» 
tore, becanfe ibe made ao anfwer when ho 
called» 

On this fiippofition he ajrole, aftd lighting n 
candle,, went diredly to the place where ho 
had heard the fcufBe : meaa while the poor 
wench, confufed and afirighted at the approach 
of her mailer, who was a fellow of a moft fa« 
vage difpofition, retreated to the kennel of 
Sancho Paiua, who flept in fpite of all this 
din, and neftling in befide him, wound her* 
felf up like a ball, and lay fnug. The landw 
|ord (low entered the ^partment^ and crying 


l88 DON Ct.UIXOTE. 

with a loud voice, ^ Where have you got, 
firumpet ? to be fure thefe muft be your jade's 
tricks, with a vengeance :" Sancho ftarted, 
and feeling a prodigious weight upon him, 
thought he was labouring under the night- 
mare : and beginning to lay abom him on all 
¿des, chanced, in couríe of his efforts, to be- 
(low divers cufis on Maritornes, who, filling 
herfelf thus, belaboured, forgot the care of 
her reputation, and returned, the fquire's com- 
pliments fo heartily, that fleep forfook him 
whether he would or not : without knowing the 
perfon who treated him fo roughly, he raifed 
himfelf up, as well as he could, and going to 
loggerheads with Maritornes, a mod fiihous 
and diverting ikirmiih cnfued« 

By this tim^, the. carrier perceiving by the 
light the fituation of his miifarefs, ran to her 
ailiftance ; and the landlord followed the fame 
courfe, though with a very different intention, 
namely, to chaftife the maid ; being fully per- 
fuaded, that Ihe was the fole caufe of all this 
uproar ; and fo, as the laying is, the cat to the 
rat, the rat to the rope, the rope to the gal-* 
lows. The carrier drummed vjpon Sancho, 
Sancho ftruck at the maid, the maid pummeled 
him, the ina-keeper difcipUned her; all of 
them exerting themfelves with fuch eagemefs 
that there was not one moment's paufe. But» 
to crown the joke, the landlord's candle went 


DON QJ3 IXOri. 189 

out» and the coitobatants being left in tlie dark, 
fuch a circulation of blows enfued, that where^ 
foever the fift fell» there the patient was dif« 
abledb 

There chanced to lodge at the inn that night, 
a trooper belonging to the ancient holy bro« 
therhood of Toledo, who alfo hearing the 
ilrange noife of this fray, arofe, and leizing 
his tipfiaíT, together with the tin-box that con^ 
tained his commifiion, entered the apartment 
in the dark, calling aloud, " Keep the peace, 
in the king's name ; keep the peace, in the 
name of the holy brotherhood,'' The firft he 
encountered was the forlorn Don Quixote, who 
lay infenfible on his demoliihed bed, with his 
&ce uppermoft ; ü that groping about, he hap- 
pened to lay hold of his beard, and cried, 
** Affift, I charge you, the officers of juftice :" 
but perceiving that the perfon he held, neither 
ftirred nor fpoke, he concluded that he muft 
be dead, and that the people within were the 
al&iiins. In this perfuafion he raifed his voice, 
crying, " Shut the gates of the inn, that none 
may efcape, for here is a man murthered." 
This exclamation, which afioniihed them all, 
was no fooner heard, than every one quitted 
his Ihare in the batde ; the landlord retreated 
to his own chamber, the carrier fneaked to his 
panniers, and the damfel to her draw : while 
t|ie imfortunate knight and fquire were left on 


ic^ o ir Qjj t X o t fi« 

the fpot^ tinable to move from tike pkces where 
they laf. The trooper letting go the beard 
of DoD, Qgixote, went out for a light to fearch 
for and apprehend the delinquents; but in 
this defign he was difappointed ; the landlord 
havii^ purpofely extinguiíhed the lamp, when 
he retired to his apartment : fo that he was 
obliged to have recourfe to the embers, at 
which, with great induilry and time, he made 
fliift to light another candle» 


CHAP. HL 


Cmtammg thfepal^ thofi increSilg grievances which 
the valiant Den ^ixeie^ and his trujly fquire Sancha 
Panzay underwent at the inn^ which^ far their mf* 
fertuniy the inight mifleekfer a eaJHe. 

About tWs time, Don Q^^ixote recover- 
ing the ufe of his tongue, began to call in the 
fame feeble tone with which he fpoke the pre» 
ceding day, when he lay ftretched in the 
packftaff valley, ^ Art thou afleep, friend San- 
cho Í friend Sancho, art thou afleep V^ '^ God's 
my li& \ replied Sancho, full of peeviflmefs 
and pain, how fliould I be afleep, feeing all the 
devils in hell have been upon me this whole 
night ?*' '* That thou may 'ft aíTure thyfelf of. 


Brow CLUlXOTfir t^i 

Alilvirered the knight : for either I underñand 
nothing it all» or this cáfila is e&€ha&t«d# 
Thou nraft ktMyvr, SaAcfao, bat what I suft go*' 
isg tm dilclofe to tber^ thM íkath fmrear to kd^p 
ferret tiU afar mjr dcotth.'' •• I do fweat/* 
fáid Sancho^ '* This {ecreej I isfift upon, re-^ 
]pKed his laafter, becaafe I woold by A(> itié»9# 
take away the repotation of amy perfon^^ 
*' Well then» cried the fqaire, I &vear to keey? 
it fecret till the days of yootf worfliip be paf^ 
and gcme ; and God grant that I mtfy be at li*' 
berty to reveal it to-morrow." *' Have I dtme 
yon fo much mifehief, Sancho> laid Don Q^iH^ 
me, that yoo wiih to fee sie dead fe íooibl V' '' k 
is not for that, replied the iquire, b^c becaufeP 
I am an enemy to all fecrets^ and would not* 
fasfe any thing rot in ciiy keeping/' ^^Be that 
m it may, iaid the knight» I will trad greatev 
things to thy love and fidelity : Know, thei^^ 
fi>re, that this very night, I have been engaged^ 
m amoft raore and wonderful adventure^ which, 
thm I nay briefly relate, take notice^ that «* 
little whtte ago, I vtras vifited by the eoañatble'á 
dMghter, úíM, whom a more beautiiiil att^ 
gmcMOS young lady is fcaree to be found ñít 
tím tsrrsfqneous globe. How fiiall I paijit w 
thee the oomeKneft of her perfon ? how deli « 
neai» the acntenefs of her underftandkig? er, 
how fittlt I defcribe thofe myftei*ious eharms; 
whach, that I may prelerve the fealty I have 
fwom to my own fovereign miftr^fs Duleme^ 


igz DON iiy I X o T a 

del Tobofo/ 1 muft pafs orct in facred filence } 
I fliall only tell thee, that heaven itfelf was 
jealous of the happinefs which fortune had 
put into my power ; or, perhaps, which is more 
probable, this caftle, as I have already obferv« 
ed, is enchanted : for while I was engs^ed with 
her in a moll delightful and amorous comrer- 
iation, an unfeen hand, belonging, doubtlefs» 
to the arm of fome monftrous giant, defcend- 
cd, I knew not whence, upon my jaws, leaving 
my whole face bathed in gore ; and afterwards 
bruifed me in fuch a manner, that I am infinite- 
ly worfe than I was yefterday, when the car- 
riers maltreated us, as thou knoweft, for the 
ezcefies of Rozinante ; from whence I conjee^ 
ture, that the treafure of this fair damfel's 
beauty is guarded by fome enchanted Moor, 
and not deílined for my poflcflion." " Nor 
for mine neither, cried Sancho, for I have been 
drubbed by five hundred Moors fo unmerciful* 
ly, that the packñave threihing was but cakes 
and gingerbread to what I now feel : fo that I 
fee no great caufe you have to brag of that rare 
adventure which has left us in this comforta* 
ble pickle. Indeed your worihip was not fo 
badly off, becaufe you had that fame incom- 
parable beauty in your arms : but what had I, 
except the harden knocks, which, I hope, I 
ihall ever feel in my born days i Curfed am I, 
and the mother that bore me: for though i 
neither am knight-errant, nor ever defign to be 


DON qjJ I X JO T & 1^3 

tme> the gieateft part of the mifchief that be-^ 
tides us, for ever falls to inj fltare.'^ '* It feemb 
then, thoa hail iof&red too," laid Don Qgix^ 
ote. *' Woe be unto me and my whole pedu 
gree! cried Sancho, have I not been telling 
you fo all this time ?" " Give thyfelf no con.- 
cem about that matter, anfwered the kn^ht» 
for now I am determined to prepare that pie- 
cious balfaoi, which will cure us both ia the 
twinkling of an eycé" 

About this time the officer of the holy bro^» 
therhood, having made íhift to light hiis am» 
die, came back to examine the perfon whom 
he fuppofed murthered; and Sancho, feeing 
him approach in his flürt and wooUeqi night^^ 
cap, with a very unfavourable afpe¿l, and ^ 
light in his hand, faid to his mafter, ^ Pray, 
fir, is that the enchanted Moor returned to 
fpend the laft drop ^ of his vengeance upoa 
us ?" ** That cannot be the Moor, anfwered. 
Don Qgizote, for enchanters never fufifer them» 
fclves to be feen/' "If they won't allow 
themfelves to be feen, cried the fquire, they 
make no bones of letting themfelves be felt ; 
that my ihoulders can teftify." *^ And mine 
too, faid the knight; but we have no fufficient 
reafon, to believe that he whom we now fee, 
is the enchanted Moon 

* Literallfi What is left in the bottom of his izikhom. 

Vol. I. O 


{^ DDK ^UIZOTI. 

> Mean wMle, the tmdper drawing startr^ and 
^earlsgf them talk So deliberately^ remained 
4bme time in fufpe&ct; thcA oWiorviiig Don 
QipzMs^ who itili lay on his back^ unable to 
ilir» cm account of his bniifea and piaftet^ he 
went up to him, fayiüg, ''Howdci'ft do, ho- 
ftéft friend ?" '' I would fpeak more fubmiC- 
lively, anfwered the knight, were I fiich a ple- 
beian a« you ; is that the language ttied in thia 
country to knights-errant, you blockhead ?^ 
The officer finding himfelf treated with fo lit- 
tle ceremony, by fuch a miferable wighi, could 
sot bear the reproach, but lifting up his lamp, 
oil and alU difcharged it upon Don Qi^ote'» 
pate, which fufier«d greatly in the encounter ^ 
akd the light being again ettinguiOied, flipped 
away in the dark^ Thingi b^eing in this Ikoa^ 

tion, ** Sir) faid Sancho Pán^ without doubt, 
that Waa the enchanted Moof, who keeps the 
tttaftire for otheif people, and the fifty-cufil^ 
and lamp-leavings for us/' ^ It muft be fo, 
replied the knight ) but we muft not mind thofe 
afikirs of enchantment fo much> ai to let them 
tuíAe 0t inflame us ; beoaufe they being invili^ 
ble and fantáftical, do what We can we ihali 
nevet be able to take TcUgeance upon the au^ 
thors of them : get up therefore, Sancho, if 
thou canft, and defire the eoni^able of this 
caftle to fupply me with fome oil, wine, fait, 
and rofemary ; that I may prepare the faluti- 
ferous balfam, which really, I believe, 1 ftand in 


fretf QM^ of at prefent» fbor the wound wbicb 
the phwtom hath given me bieeds apace*" 

. Aceordiagly the CquufQ iMde unit (o tíí^ 
notwithftandiog tbs intolerable aching of hh 
bones ; and creeping in the dark toward» thi^ 
inn-keeper'a bedchaoibor, happened to m^^t 
with the trooper, who ftood Ufteni«g» to ki¥lW 
the intentiw of hi3 adverfary." " Signor,^ 
cried hr> whafoever you are» do ua the benefit 
and favour to «PUft ua with fome rofemMPy,. (a)t| 
wine, and oil in oider to eu^^ one of the n»oA 
mighty hnigbta-crrant upon eanb, who \m in 

that bed, defperately wounded by the .ha^^df 
of an enchanted Moor that frequents this inn/' 
The ofteer hearing fuch an addre&> (concluded 
that the man had loft hia fenfea ; a^d it being 
by this time dawn, opened the {««-^gaia^ w4 
calling to the landlord» told him what thi« ho^ 
neft nan wanted* The inn-keeper haviijig pf«h 
vided Sancho with the if^edtents, he imme- 
diately carried them to his waAer, who Uy 
holding his head betwf ei^t hia two handb a^4 
complaining very tnueh of the e£b¿i of th^ 
lamp, which, however, had done no fiirthej 
damage than that of raifing a coyple of largf 
tnmoura upon his pate ; that which he took % 
blood being no other thaq fweat forced oi« bf 
the anguifli and pain he had undcrgoive* J^ 
fhon^ he made a eompofition, by mi^Ag th» 
^temla together» and boiM^g th^m » goo4 


while, until he found he had brought the wh^le 
to a due confiftence : then he aíked for a phial 
to contain the balfam ; but as there was none 
in the houfe, he refolved to cork it up in a tin 
óiUflaík» of which the landlord made him a 
prefenti Which being done» he repeated over 
it more than fourfcore pater-nofiers, with (he 
like number of aye-marias, falves and credos, 
accompanying every word with the iign of the 
crofs, by way of benedidion : and this whole 
ceremony was performed in prefence of San* 
cho, the inn-keeper and officer ; the carrier 
having very quietly gone to lake care of his 
beaita. 

This pitcious baliam being thus coinpofed, 
the knight wks determined to make inftant 
trial of the efficacy with which he iaugined it 
endued; and accordingly fwallowed about a 
pint and a half of what remained in the pot, 
after the oil-flaik was full, which had fcarce got 
down his throat when he began to vomit in 
fuch a manner, as left nothing in his ftomach ; 
and a moft copious fweat breaking out upon 
him, in confequence of the violent operation, 
he defired they would wrap him up warm, 
and leave him to his repofe* They complied 
with his requeft, and he fell into a profound 
fleep that lafted three hours, at the end of 
which awaking, he found himfelf exceedingly 
refreihed, and fo well recovered of his biuifes^ 


Dan <LÜIXOTE. 19^ 

thut he feemed perfeéUy well ; and implicitl/ 
believed that he had now made fare of the baU 
fain of Fier-á-bras, which, while he pofTeiTed, 
he might; with the utmoil confidence and fafe* 
ty, engage in the moft perilous quarrels, com^ 
bat3 juid havock, that could polfibly happen, 

Sancho Panza feeing his mafter recovered to 
ft miracle, begged he would beftow upon him 
the fediment of the pot, which was no fmall 
quantity : and his requeft being granted, he 
laid hold of it with both hands, and fetting it 
to his head, drank off, with firong faith and 
eager iAclination, almoft as much as his mafter 
had fwallowed before. But the poor fquire's 
ftomach chanced to be not quite fo delicate as 
that of the knight, and there&re before he 
could difcharge a drop, he fufiered fuch pangs 
and Teachings, fuch qualms and cold fweats, 
that he verily believed his laft hour was come } 
and ,in the midft of his wamblings and afflic*» 
tion curfed the balfam and the mifcreant that 
made it. Don Guisote perceiving his iituation, 
faid, ** I believe that all this mifchief happens 
to thee, Sancho, becaufe thou art not a knight : 
for I am perfuaded, that this liquor will be of 
fervice to none but fuch as are of the order 
of knighthood.*' " If your worlhip knew fo 
much, cried Sancho, woe be unto me and my 
whole generation ! why did you allow me to 
tafte it?" At this iaftant the potion be^an tQ 


Ofieratb, ihd tke poor fqüire to ii&taid ^ h^ 
tatá$ wták fach laity, that the mat «^n whieh 
be had tüirown hítn^lf, afid the ihtel Awt 
cotet-dd htm, vrett íoott lU a woeful pi&kle: 
he iweaied and ftkit/iered whh foch violent mo- 
tiooa and fits, that not only he himfeli^ hoit 
every body prcfent, thought he would have 
given up the ^oft. 

This tempeil of evacuation lafted near two 
hours, at the expiration of whidi, he found 
láorielf £ir from being relieved like his mafter, 
but, on the contrary, fo much fatigued that he 
wits AM 4ibte to ftand. The knight, as wo 
hai^ ah*eady'obferved, finding hixofelf in good 
health and ^eoccéllait fpirits, longed fervently 
to depart in queft of adventures, thinking eve- 
ry minute he fpent in that place was an injury 
to the world in general, and to thofe miferable 
objeéte who wanted his favour and proteekionj 
efpedally as he was now in pofleifion of the 
oettain means of ¡la&ty and confidence, in that 
efficacious balfam he had made. Prompted by 
thefe fuggeftions, he himielf laddled Rozi- 
nante, and with his own hands put the pannel 
tq^on the beail of his fquire, whom he olio a£- 
iidfted in getting on his cloaths and osioimting 
his afs. He then heftrode his own need, and 
laying hold of a pitchfork that ftood in a cor- 
iocx of the yard, appropriated it to the ufe of a 
lance ; while all the people in the boufe^ ex« 


MOtüog ÉVfiOtir |iierípii9« to^hdld him widi ad- 
máfíl^ : ilie )MdJk>rd'9 daughter b^ing amoBg 
ii»^ fp^^tPn^t h^ i^ bÍ9 ef ^ upon licr, and 
ivim ÚXX» io time «fíejjed § pn>foand figfa, 
«hi^J^ (f^imd to be hewrd ftoift the vay ^)0I> 
lof]» of Jl^is bpwelp! i ^»d.w)úch, iñ the opi- 
nión jj^jíU ^tbofe wliQ h^d ^en faim aaointed 
0frfff mght>^>&M$aí6^i^ by tb^AcluBg of his 

, ^ I í 

£ka»d Im íqpmbi^ng by this time «ounfi- 
4id» be Jaak^d «t tb^ gMi* aod calling to itfae 
ioivk^cper, pum^tMlMed» í» a grave and ibLennn 
49^ : ^' jKtt$Dí^r^.U8 and migjbiy ase dbo fib- 
iFoijm« íir cppftabjlí:* vblelí I haye received in 
itbi» ica^ of y wrs^ ftPd I A^a^l think myfdf 
iw<fer thp hígbe^ ^Jiígation^ io retain a gíbate- 
fal r^msQp^ranfte of yi^ur couMefy all the idayo 
i>f my Uf<p. If J cm «aake ypn any jsetacn^ in 
0kmt ^fmgP%W^ W fon$ i^folent adyeriary 
^ho b%^ P^rbap^ ¡aggríeyied yop; knov that 
it is my province and profefiion to aíliíl the 
Jbclplcfs, .ayiejigp fke ix^juri^d^ sa^i fJbaJftiz^ ,t^ 
&]ieii <recol\e&, therefore, and if yoH have 
any boon of that fort to aCk, fpe^iii: die ^yordj 
I fwaxikif by the tordc^r of kniighthood ¡whidk 
I have received, that you ihall be .righijed and 
redreíTed to ypur hcait'8 coAteat;." "SirJcnight, 
replied the inn-keeper^ with the fame delibera- 
tion^ I have no occafipn for y:Qur WQribjp'^ af- 
fiftance to redrefs any grievance 4>f jnine, for 


200 DOW Qja I X o T & 

I know how to revenge my own wrong» when 
I fuffer any : all I defire is, that you will pay 
the Ibore you hav^ run up in this inn, for pro* 
vender to your catde, and food and lodging 
to yourfelf and fervant/' ^ It feems then this 
is an inn/* anfwered the knight. *^ Aye, and 
a well-rcfpeeled one/' faid the landlord. *' I 
have been in a miftake all this lime, refumed 
Don Qjiizote, for I really thoij^ht it was a 
caftle ; and that none of the meaneft neither i 
but fince it is no other than a houfe of public 
entertainment, you have nothing to do but ex^ 
CU& me from paying a fiuthing ; for I can by 
no means tranfgrefs the cuftom of knights-eiw 
rant, who, I am fure, as having read nothing 
to the contrary ♦, never paid for lodging or 
any thing elfe, in any inn or houfe whatfoever, 
becaufe they had a right and title to the beft 
of entertainment, in recompence for the into^ 
lerable fufierings they underwent, in feeking 
adventures by iiight and by day, in winter as 

* Don Quixote {etms !n this place to have forgot one adventure of 
his great pattern, Oriando, who, while he accompanied Angelica In 
litr flight Ifom Arbracc9> liappened to intnsde upon the king of the 
Ijeftrigonsi as he i^t at dinner in a valley ; and bei^g in great want 
of vitals, accofted his moft favage majefiy in thefe words, records 
ed by Boyardo, or rather Berni, in his poem intitied Orlando Jdsh 
mor^to. 

Poich^ fortuna a qneft'ora ne mena 

I>a voi, vi prego, che non vi defpiaccia, 

o pe' noítri danarí o in cortefia. 

Che noi ceninm con voi di compagnia. 

Thus humbly requefting, that he would, either for love or monev^ 
|ÍY« tbom a hope to |xid(. 


DON <^U IX O T ¿ sot 

well aii Hunmer, on foot and on horfeback, 
ezpofed to hunger and thirft^ to heat and cold^ 
and to all the inclemencies of heaven, as well 
as the inccmveniencies of earth." ^ All this 
is nothing to my parpofe, faid the inn-keeper» 
pay me what you owe, and fave all your idle 
tales of knight-errantry for thofe who will be 
amuled with them ; for my own part I nrind 
jio tale but that of the money I take/' '' Yoii 
are a fancy publican, and a blockhead to boot," 
cried Don Qgi»)te, who putting fpurs to Rozi- 
liante, and brandilhing his pitchfork, (allied 
out of the inn without oppofition ; and was a 
good way off before he looked behind to fee 
if he was followed by his fquire« 

The landlord, feeing the knight depart withw 
cut paying, ran up to feize Sancho, who told 
him, that fince his mafter had reiiifed to dif- 
charge the bill, he muft not expe¿l any money 
from him, who, being the iquire of a knight- 
errant, was, as well as his mafter, bound by 
the fame laws to pay- for nothing in taverns 
and inns« The publican, irritated at this an« 
fwer, threatened, if he would not pay him, to 
indemnify bimfelf in a manner that ihould 
not be fo much to the fquire's liking: but 
Panza fwore by the laws of chivalry his mafter 
profefled, that he would not pay a doit, though 
it ihould coft him his life ; for he was refolved 
that the honourable and ancient cuftom9 of 


kmftht-^jrao&y íbcnild noc be l^iirougb 
miíbebsviottr; adthcr íhould thofe fqpiir^ w)i9« 
iiFCDe to cpQie inta the worid af^ hsm» bj^vf 
Moafioo «o compkia of ]m pmdúíi» or fc^ 
proaeh bim with the bmirli of ío jíift » púr 
vilegc, 

A$ the rm&güauát Saacfao^f ^1 gftain^ 
wotild have k» there «fere tiDoag tbe^cofupaiqr 
tl^at lo<Jf ed that n^ht ib the hmky fáuf ^Hh 
tfaiera <£ Se^oirb» tbroe .]»i(irnakei36 ^m Ú» 
gUBtt fquai?e of Covdovag Wtd a owiile 4of &i9j^ 
^Le^epers &oui the; aiftpk^t^jilace pf S^ñUe ; gU 
^ them briík jolly fellowa, ^üi fnrfchievotn» 
wags. T hefe «oo^aiúpaa» «s if t\^ k^á hi&eQ 
infpired and inftigated by the fame fpirit, 
eame up to thp fquire via iMuUed him £r^Mi liis 
afs j then, o3^ of then» etching a blanjbet /sQm 
the Undlord> bed, ^y put S!a]M;ho loüo.it^ imd 
lifting ^ the^r eye% firw^ed the loof .^iHi^ 
too low for their |>uj^]ia%¿ the«fvc í4ww»»- 
ed to ca^Tfry hiiB.(0K m^ tjlpe yifd^ whleh if«l 
no othejf ^cdJiiai^ th w the. /ky : tWe placing 
Paivsa lift the middle lof the blaKket, Ácy be- 
gan to tois him ou high. laiKl dive^ ihemfelves 
with hia caper^^ aa t^be fnejb 'do wii^ td9g« at 
Shrove-tide. The 4:rie$ uttered by this mi^- 
able :vauker were fi> pieiiciog aa tp reach the 
.ears of his mailer, who halting tOj Uften more 
attentively» believed th^t Cbipe new ad^ntiire 
was rj^pfxroaching» mt^ he clearly reeogniz^fl 


tbc fli rieks 4>f hit fqdire : lie immedúitely mm« 
ed iiÍ8 liorfe, and wkli infiaiie Arainñig, ma<^ 
ÜÚ& xo gallop bick K> tkt inA ; but fiixiing the 
gate ítsox, todt i^imd in £earcfa of f ome ot^r 
cntTMce^; ami "«viien iie approached die yard- 
wall, «rhich waa not very high, perceived the 
difagreeable }obe diey "wssoe pradÜing upon hia 
S^fáxc, wht) roie in the air, and funk again 
fritth ábch grace and cticiky, ÚM if his in* 
«Bgnation wrald have aLlowed hhn/ 1 vierily 
faelieftne doe knight iiiacifelf 'woodd have laughed 
at idle oooafioau üe aiteiqpted to ilep froia his 
horfe upon the waul, ixit was fo bruifed «nd 
battrred, .tfast fae oouid not move from ^has feat; 
and thexe&ne fitoátodi.as he was, began to vient 
inch a toricnt ^af reproaebiul and c^probri- 
ms ¿language lagsáttSt Saacho's execrntioners, 
that It is impaflible to repeat the half of what 
he faid« This, howev^, iieither interrupted 
their mirth nor ^tfaeir diiiterfion, nor gave the 
leaft troce to the iamentatíons of Sancho, who 
prayed and threatened by turns, » he flew^ 
indeed nodiingof das fort Aeitber could or did 
avail hhn, until haRring xiff, out of ^ure wearl* 
nefs, they thought £t to wrap him up in hi4 
great coat,^ and fet him on his afs again. The 
companionate Maritornes, ibeing him fo much 
fatigued, thought -he would :be the tietter. for a 
draught of water, which, that it might be the 
cooler, ihe fetched ii^m the well ; and Sancho 
i^d Jnft put the mxig. :to hia lips, mhesx his 


204 DON QJU I X O T B, 

draught was retarded by the voice of his ma£r 
ter, who cried aloud, ** S<m Sanchp» drink no( 
water^ drink not that which will be the occa^ 
fion of thy death, my fon ; behold this moft 
facred balfam (holding up the cniife of potion 
in his hand,) two drops of which will effec- 
tually cure thee/' At thefe words the fquire 
eyed him, as it were, aikance, and in a tone 
ftill more vociferous, replied, *^ Perchance your 
worihip \iAS forgot that I am no knight; or 
may be, you want to fee me vomit up all the 
entrails I have left, after laft night's quandary. 
Keep your liquor for yourfelf, and may all the 
devils in hell give you joy of it ; and leave me 
to my own difcretiouu'^ He had no fooner pro* 
noupced thele words than he began to fwallow, 
and perceiving at the ñrñ draught, that the 
cordial was no other than water, he did not 
choofe to repeat it ; but defired Maritornes to 
bring him fome wine. This requeft ihe com- 
plied with very cheerfully, and paid for it with 
her own money, for it was reportedof her, 
that although ihe was reduced to that low de« 
gree in life, ihe adually retained fome &int 
iketches and ibadows of the chriftian. 

Sancho, having finiihed his draught, clapped 
Jieels to his afs, and the inn-gate being thrown 
wide open, fallied forth very well fatisfied with 
havipg :got off without paying any thing, aU 
ihpugh he had fucceeded at the e3q>^nce pf his 


DON Q^ÜIXOTt 205 

íhoulders, which ulcere indeed his ufual fure^i- 
ties. True it is, the landlord had detained 
his bags for the reckoning ; but thefe Sancho 
did not mifs in the confufion.of his retreat. 
As toon as he was clear of the houfe, the inn- 
keeper would have barricadoed the gate, had 
he not been prevented by the blanket compa* 
nions, who were of that fort of people, who 
would not have valued Don Qgixote a farthing, 
even if he had been aéhially one of the knights 
of the round-table. 


C h A P. IV. 






in ivhicb is ncounted the dtfcourfe that ptíjfti betwnn 
Sanchú Panza j and bis maftir Don fixate i with 
vtber adventures Worthy of record. 

4S ANCHO made íhift to overtake his mafter, 
fo haggard and difmayed, that he was fcarce 
able to manage his beaft ; and when the knight 
perceived his melancholy fituation, *' Honeft 
Sancho, faid he, I am now convinced beyond 
all doubt, that this caftle or inn is enchant* 
ed; for thofe who made fuch a barbarous 
paftime of thy fufierings, could be no other 
than phantoms and beings belonging to the 
other world* I am confirmed in this opinion. 


ZjdS DDK Qj;&XOTI« 

ixoim faaTing fbuad, that while I wa& by the 
wall of the yard, a fpedator of the ad^ of 
thy mouraful tragedy, I could neither climb 
over to thy afliftance, nor indeed oiove from 
Rozinante, but iras fixed in the faddle by the 
power of enchantment ; for I fwear to thec^ 
by the faith of my chamber ! if I could have 
flighted from my fieed» and furmonnted the 
wall; I would have revenged thy wrongs in 
Inch a maimer, that tboie idle mifcreants fliould 
have remembered the jcft t;o their dying day ; 
altho' I kno^, that in fo doing, I ihould have 
tranfgrefled the laws of chivalry, which, I 
have often told thee, do not allow a knight to 
lift his arm againft any perfon of an inferior 
degree, except in defence of his own life and 
limbs, or in cafes of the moil prefling necef- 
fityv'* ** So would I have revenged myfel^ 
faid Sancho, knighted or not knighted; but 
if was not in my power ; tho' I am very well 
fatisfied that thofe who diverted themfelves at 
my cod were no phantoms, nor enchanted 
beings, as your worihip imagine^ but men 
made of flcfix and bones, as we are, and all of 
them have chriilian names, which I beard re** 
peated, while they tofled me in the blanket ; 
one^ for example, is called Pedro Majtineai^ 
another Tenorio Hernandez, and the ina- 
keeper goes by the name of Juan Palameque 
the left-hand^: and therefore, fignor, your 
being d\fabled from alighting and getting 


fi o II Q^V 1 X O T 1^ jU>7 

oter the wall, moit have been awing to fame- 
thing elie tkan endiantment What I can 
clearly di£ceni £com the whole is, that thefc 
tdvemares we go in fcarch of will, at the long 
ran, bring us iilto fiich . nufventuiee, that we 
Ihall tM. know our right hands from our left : 
and therefore, in my fmall judgment, the beft 
and wholeiomeft thing we can do, will be to 
jog back again to our own habiution now, 
while the harvoft is going on,, to take care of 
our cropsi and leave off fauntering from * poft 
10 pillar> and falling oat of the frying-pan into 
the fire, at the laying is." 

. ^ How litde art thou acquainted, Sancho, 
Mplied i>on Qgixote, with the pretenfiona of 
chivalry ! hold thy tongue and have patience ; 
for the day will foon arrive, on which thy own 
eyes flull judge what an honourable pn>feiEon 
it ia: piay, tell me now, what greater fatisfac- 
tUm can there be in this world, or what plear 
fare can equal that of a conqueror, who 
triumphs over his adveriary in battle ? None 
fiore !" ^ That may be, anfwered the fquire, 
though I know nothing of the matter. Thb 
«nly I know, that fince we have taken up the 
•trade of knights-errant, your worfliip I mean, 
Snr aa to my own part, I have no manner of 

* In tb« origioaly from C«ai to Mecca ; a phnfe derivad finom 
diecuftúcn^ of Che Moors, who ofed to go in pilgrimage to cheib two 
^iMot CtcawaiiailMCit/of Coi^ova. 


Z09 DON qjj J X o T s. 

title to be reckoned in liich an hoinoarable lift» 
we have not gained one battle» exeept that with 
the Bifcayan ; and even there your worihip 
came o£f with half an ear, and the bfa of one 
fide of your helmet : from that day to this 
good hour, our lot hath been nothing but cud* 
gelling upon cudgelling, pummelling upon 
pummelling ; except the* advantage I have had 
over your worihip, in being tofled in a blanket 
by enchanted Moors, whom I cannot be re* 
yenged of, in order to know how pleafant a 
paftime it is to overcome one's enemy^ as your 
worihip obfcrves/' ** That is the very griev«- 
ance, Sancho, under which both you and I la- 
bour, faid Don Qgixote : but, for the future, 
I will endeavour to procure a fv^vd tempered 
with fuch mafterly ikill, that he who wears it 
ihall be fubjeA to no kind of enchantment : 
and who knows but accident may &miih me 
with that which Amadis pofTeiTed, when he 
fliled himielf the knight of the flaming fword ; 
and truly it was one of the moft excellent 
blades that ever a warrior uniheathed ; for, be* 
fides that foveteign virtue it conudned, it cut 
keen as a razor, ^and no armour, though ever 
fo ftrong or enchanted, could ftand before its 
edge/^ '' I am fo deviliihly lucky, faid San* 
cho, that if the cafe was really fo, and your 
worihip ihould light on that fame fword, it 
would, like the precious balfam, be of no iér^ 
vice or fecurity to any but your true knights; 


DON njjixorz. 209 

and we that are fquires might fing for forrow/* 
'^ Thou muft not be afraid of that^ replied the 
knight, heaven will furely deal more merci- 
fully with thee/' 

In fuch converiaáon, Don Ogizote and his 
fquire jogged along, when the former defcry- 
ing on the road in which they travelled, a 
large and thick cloud of duft rolling towards 
them, turned to Sancho, faying, ** This, O 
Sancho ! is the day that ihall manifeft the great 
things which fórtmie hath in flore for me! 
This, I lay, is the day, on which the valour 
of this arm Ihall be difplayed as much as upon 
any other occafion; and on which, I am re- 
folved to perform deeds that Ihall remain en- 
graven on the leaves of fame to all pofterity I 
Seefl thou that cloud of daSt before us ? The 
whole of it is raifed by a vail army, compofed 
of various and innumerable nations that aré. 
marching this way/* ** By that way of reck, 
oning there muil be two, faid Sancho, for 
right over againil it there is jull fuch another.'' 
Don Qgixote immediately turned his eyes, and 
perceiving Sancho's information to be true, 
was rejoiced beyond meafure ; firmly believing 
that what he faw were two armies in &11 march 
to attack each other, and engage in the middle 
of that fpacious plain ; for every hour and mi- 
nute of the day his imagination was engroiied 
by thofe battles, enchantmentS| dreadful acci- 

Vol. I. P 


210 íJo» qjj ix or É. 

dents» extravagant amours and rodomontades, 
which are recorded in books of chivalry ; and 
indeed every thing he thought, laid, or did, 
had a tendency that way. 

As for the dud he now faw, it was raifed by 
two flocks of iheep which chanced to be driven 
from different parts into the fame road, and 
were fo much involved in this cloud of their 
own making, that it was impoflible to difcem 
them until they were very near. The knight 
affirmed thiey were armies with fuch afliiranee' 
that Sancho adually believed it, and laid 
to his mailer, ''And pray now, good your 
worlhip, what muft wc do ?" *• What, anfwcr- 
cd Don Qgucote, but aflUl and fupport that fide 
which is weak and difcomfited ? Thou mu& 
know, Sancho, thax yonder hoft which front» 
us, is led and commanded by the mighty em* 
peror Ali£suafaron, fovereign of the great iiland 
of Trapoban ; and that other behind us belongs 
to his mortal enemy the king of the Garaman- 
teans, known by the name of Pentapolin with 
the naked arm, becaufe he always goes to bat* 
tie with the fleeve of his right arm tucked up.'' 
•* But why are thofe chieftains fo mifchievoufly 
inclined towards each other?" faid Sancho^ 
"The caufe of their enmity, replied the 
knight, is this : Alifanfaron, who is a moft out« 
rageous pagan, is enamoured of Pentapolin's 
daughtei^ a moft beautifiil and courteous lady. 


DON Q^ÜIXOTt. 211 

who being a chriftian, her father will by no 
means betroth her to the infidel prince, unlefs 
he Ihall firft renounce the law of his falfe pro« 
phet Mahomet, and become a convert to the 
true faith." " Now, by my whiíkérs! cried 
Sancho, king Pentapolin ia an honed man» 
and I am refolved to give him all the afliftance 
In my power." " In fo doing thou wilt per- 
form thy duty, Sancho, (aid his mailer, for to 
engage in fuch battles as thefe, it is not necef- 
fary to be dubbed a knight." ** That I can 
eafily comprehend, replied the other, but 
where ihall we fecure the afs that we may be 
fure of finding him aiter the fray is over ? for 
I believe it is not the faihion now-a-days, to 
go to batde on fufch a beail." " True, faid 
the knight, and I think the beit way will be to 
leave him to his chance, whether he be loft 
or not; for we ihall have fiich choice of ileeds, 
when once we have gained the viñory, that 
Rozinante himfelf will run fome riik of being 
exchanged for another : but obferve and liilen 
attfentively ; I will now give thee a detail of 
the principal knights that ferve in thefe two 
armies ; and that thou mayeil fee and mark 
them the better, let us retire to yon rifing 
ground, from whence we can diítín¿lly view 
the line of battle in both. They accordingly 
placed themfelves upon a hillock, whence they 
could eafily have difcerned the two flocks of 
iheep which Don Qiiixote metamorphofed into 


Zlt DON Q^U I X O T B. 

armies, had not the duft they xaifed confou4<t^ 
ed and obfcured the view ; but neverthelefs, be- 
holding in hie imagination that which could 
not Qtherwife be feen, becaufe it did not exift, 
he began to pronounce with an audible voice : 

*' That knight whom thou feeft ^ith yellow 
armour, bearing in his Ihteld a lion crowned 
and crouching at the feet of a young lady, is 
the gallant Laucalco, lord of the ñlver bridge ; 
that other befide him, who wears armouir 
powdered with flowers of gol<^, and bears for 
his device three crowhs argent in a field azure^ 
is the amorous Micocolembo, grand duke of 
Qgiracia ; and he upon his right hand, with 
thofe gigantic limbs, is ihe never to be daunted 
Brandabarbaran de Boliche, fovereign of the 
three Arabias, who comes armed with a fer- 
pent's ikin, and infiead of a fliield, brandiflies 
a huge gate, which it is faid belonged to the 
temple that Samfon overthrew, when he aveng- 
ed himfelf of his enemies at his death : but 
turn thine eyes, and behold in the front of 
this other army, the ever-conquering and ne- 
ver-conquered Timonel de Carcajona, prince 
of New Bifcay, whofe arms are quartered 
azure, vert, argent, and or; and the device in 
his Ihkld, a cat or, in a field gules with the 
letters Miau, which conftitute the beginning 
of his lady's name; and ihe, they fay, is the 
pcerlefs Miaulina, daughter of Alfeñiquen 


» o M Q^U I X tf T E. ^x^ 

duke of Algarve : the other who loads and op- 
prefles the loins of that fiery Arabian fteed, 
with armour white as fnow, and a Ihield with- 
out a device, is a noviciate knight of the 
French nation, called Pierre Papin, baron of 
TJtrique : the third, who ftrikes his iron row- 
els into the flanks of that fpotted, nimble * 
Zebra, is the potent duke of Nerbia, efparta- 
filardo of the wood, who bears in his ihield 
for a device, a bunch of afparagus, with an in^ 
fcription fignifying, "By deftinyrm dogged." 

In this manner did he invent names for a 
great many knights in either army, to all of 
whom alfo he gave arms, colours, mottos and 
devices, without the leaft hefitation, being in-^ 
credibly infpired by the fumes of a diftemper* 
ed fancy; nay, he proceeded without any 
paule, faying, ^' That fquadron forming in our 
front is compofed of people of divers nations : 
there be thofe who drink the delicious water» 
of the celebrated Xanthus, with the monntai-' 
neers who tread the Maffylian plains; and 
thofe who fift the pureft golden ore of Arabia 
Felix : there alfo may be feen the people who 
fport upon the cool and famous banks of the- 
uanflucent Thermodonte ; and thofe who con- 
duel: the yellow Pa&olus in many a winding 
ftream; the promife-breaking Numidians ; the 

^ Zebra is a beaittiiul creature, native of Arabia, wlipurly calleé 
the wild ais. 


214 POV a.UIX4>TS9 

Perfians for their archery renowned ; the Par* 
thians and the Medes who combat as they fly ; 
the Arabians famed for ihifting habitations; 
the Scythians cruel as they are i&ir ; the thick- 
Upp'd race of Ethiopia, and an infinite variety 
of other nations^ whofe looks I know, and can 
difcern, though I canaot recoiled their names. 
In that other Iquadron march thofe men who 
lave in the cryftal current of the olive-bearing 
Betis ; thofe whofe vifages are cleaned and po« 
liihed with the limpid wave of the ever rich 
and golden Tagus ; thofe who delight in the 
lalutiferous draughts of Genii the divine : thofe 
who fcoor the Tartefian fields that with fat paf-* 
tare teem; thofe who make. merry in the £ly-< 
£an meads of Herezan ; the rich Mancheg^a 
crowned with ruddy ears of corn; thofe 
cloathed in ñeel the bold remains of ancient 
Gothic blood ; thofe who bathe in Pifuerga, fa-r 
mous for its gentle current; thofe who feed their 
flocks upon the fpacious meads of the mean- 
dring Guadiana, celebrated fi^r its fecret courfe ; 
thofe who ihiver with the chiU blails of the 
woody Pyrenees, and thofe who feel the fnowy 
flakes of lofty Appenine: in fine, whatever 
nations Europe imbofoms and contains/' 

Heaven preferve us I what provinces" did he 
mention ! what nations did he name ! beflow- 
ing, with wonderful facility, thofe attributes 
that belonged to each ; being all the while ab> 


DON Q^UIXOTS. 215 

forpt, and, as it were, immerfed in the con« 
tents of his deceitful books. Sancho Panza 
liftened attentively to his mailer, without at* 
tering one fyllable ; and from time to time 
turned his eyes from one fide to another, to 
fee if he could difcem thofe knights and giants 
who were thus defcribed : but not being able 
to difcover one of them, *^ Sir, (aid he, your 
worihip may fay what you pleafe, but the devil 
a man, giant or knight, that you have mention- 
ed, is there ; at leaft I can fee none : perhaps 
indeed the whole is enchantment, like the 
phantoms of lafl night.'' ** How fayefl thou i 
replied Don Qgiixote, doft thou not hear the 
neighing of ileeds, the found of clarions, and 
noife of drums ?" ** I hear nothing, anfwered 
Sancho, but abundance of bleating ewes and 
lambs." And truly that was the cafe ; for by 
this time the two flocks were pretty near them. 
'^ Thy fear, faid Don Qgixote, hinders thee 
from feeing and hearing aright : for one ef- 
feél of terror is to difturb the fenfes, and make 
objeds appear otherwife than they are : if thou 
art therefore under fuch conüemation, retire 
on one fide, and leave me alone; for I myfelf 
am fufficient to beilow vi^ry on that caufe 
which I efpoufe.'' So faying, he clapped fpu» 
to Rozinante, and putting his lance in the re(^ 
darted down from the hillock like lightnings 
In vain did Sancho bellow forth, " Turn, fig- 
nor Don Qgjxote ! good your worihip, turn ! fQ 


tl6 DON Q^U IZOTE. 

help mé God ! thofe are ewes and lambs you 
are going to attack ! woe be to the father that 
begat me! will you not turn? what madnefs 
pofiefles you ! confider, here are no giants, 
nor knights, nor cats, nor arms, nor Ihields 
quartered or whole : nor inverted azures, and 
the devil knows what : was there ever fuch dif« 
tra&ion? finner that I am !'' 

The knight however did not r^ard this ext 
clamation : on the contrary he rode on, bawling 
aloud, ^ So ho, knights ! you that attend and 
ferve under the banners of the valiant emperor 
Pentapolin with the naked arm, follow me in 
a body, and you fliall behold how eaiily I will 
avenge him on his adverfary Alifanfaron of 
Trapoban/' Having uttered thefe words, he 
ruihed into the thickeft of the fquadron of 
Iheep, and began to lay about him, with as 
much eagernefs and fury, as if he had been 
a&ually engaged with his mortal enemies. The 
herdfmen and Ihepherds who were driving the 
flock, called to him to forbear; but finding 
their admonition had no effe&, they ungirded 
their flings, and began to falute his ears with 
ilones^ the leaft of which was as large as aa 
ordinary fift : but he, &r from minding their 
mifliles, rode about the field, crying, *^ Where 
art thou, proud Alifimfaron ? fiice me, if thou 
dareft ; I am. but a fingle knight, who want to 
prove thy prowefs hand to hand, and iacrific« 


DON Q^ÜIXOTE. 217 

thy life for the injury thou haft done to Penta« 
polin Garanumta/' Juft as he pronounced 
thefe words, he received a pebble on his fide, 
that feemed to have buried a couple of his ribs 
in his belly ; and gave him fuch a rude ihock, 
that he believed himfelf either dead or defpe* 
rately wounded : then remembering his fpeci- 
&c, he pulled out the cruife, and fetting it to his 
mouth, began to fwallow the balfam ; but be- 
fore he had drank what he thought a fufficient 
dofe, there came another fuch almond, fo plum 
upon his hand and cruife, that after having 
ihivered the pot to pieces, it carried off in 
its way three or four of his grinders^ and 
ihattered two of his fingers in a grievous man* 
ner : in ihort, fo irrefiftible were both the ap^ 
plications, that the poor knight could not help 
tumbling firom his horfe. The ihepherds im<» 
mediately came up, and believing him a¿hially 
deady gathered together their flock with all 
imaginable difpatch, and taking their dead» 
which might be about feven in number, upon 
their Ihoulders, made off without any fiurther 
inquiry. 

All this time Sancho remained upon the hill, 
beholding with amazement the madnefs of his 
mafter, tearing his beard, and curfing the hour 
and minute on which it was his fate to know 
him : and now feeing him fallen, and the ihep- 
icrds gone, be defcended to his aflifiancc^ 


1 


j;i8 PON qjjixort. 

when finding him ftill fenfible, though in a 
miferable fituation^ ** Did not I warn you, %- 
por Don Qjiixote, faid he, to turn, and afliire 
you that thofe you went to atuck were no 
armies, but flocks of innocent iheep ?*' '* How 
ilrangely can that mifcreant enchanter, who i$ 
my enemy, tranfmography things to thwart 
me? Know, Sancho, that it is a very cafy 
matter for necromancers to make us alliime 
what Ihapes they pleafe : and the malicious 
wretch who perfecutes me, envying the glory 
I Ihould have gained in this battle, hath doubt- 
lefs metamorphofed the fquadrons of the foe 
into flocks of iheep : but thou flialt do one 
thing, I intreat thee, Sancho, in order to be 
undeceived and convinced of the truth ; mount 
thy afs, and follow them fair and foftly ; and 
when they are at a convenient diftance from 
hence, thou wilt fee them remm to their for« 
mer ihapes, and ceafing to be iheep, become 
men again, right and tight as I at ñríi defcrib* 
cd them ; but do not go at prefent, for I havc( 
occaiion for thy farvice and afiiftance : come 
hither, and fee how many teeth I have loft } 
methinks there is not one left in my whole 
jaw/* 

Sancho accordingly approached fo near as 
to thruil his eyes into his mafter's mouth, juft 
at the time when the balfam began to operate 
in his ftomach, which, with the force of a 


»0M QJJIXOTM. 219 

culverm, difcharged its contents iiill in th^ 
beard of the compafllonate fquiie. ''H0I7 
virgin ! cried Sancho, what is this that hath 
befallen me i without doubt this poor finner is 
mortally woimded^ lince he vomits blood," But 
eonfidering the cafe more maturely, he found 
by the colour, tañe, and íínell, that it was not 
blood, but the foalfam he had ieen him drink : 
and fuch was the loathing he conceived at this 
recognition, that his ftomach turned, and he 
emptied his bowels upon his mafter ; fo that 
both of them remained in ^ handfome pickle« 
Sancho ran to his |^s, for a towel to clean 
them, and fome application for his mafter'Si 
hurt; but when he mifled his bags, he had 
well nigh loft his feníes: he curfed his fate 
again, and determined with himielf to leave the 
knight, and return to his habitation, even tho' 
he Ihould lofe his wages for the time he had 
already ferved, as well as his hopes of govern** 
ipg the inland of Promife* 

At this jubdure Don Qgizote arof^, and 
clapping hió left hand to his cheek, in order 
to prevent his teeth from falling out, with the 
right hand laid hold of the bridle of Rozi** 
nante, who, like a faithful and affe£tionate fer-.> 
vant, had never ftirred from his mafter's fide ; 
and went up to the place where his fquire 
flood, leaning upon his afs, with one hand ap<» 
pli^ to his jaw^ in the pofture of a perfon 


929 P o II <IV I X o T I. 

wlio is exceedingly penfive : the knight perceiv^ 
ing him in this fitaation, with manifeft iigns 
of melancholy in his countenance^ ''Know, 
Sancho, faid he, that one man is no more than 
another, unlefs he can do more than another. 
All thofe hurricanes that Have happened to us 
prognofticate that we foon ihall have fair wea- 
ther, and that every thing will fucceed to our 
wilh : for it is impofiible that either good or 
bad fortune Ihould be eternal ; and therefore 
it follows that our adverfity having lafted fo 
long, our profpefity muft be now at hand. Be 
not grieved then at the i^sfortunes that hap- 
pen to me, fince no part of them falls to thy 
filare." '' Not to my fliare ! anfwered Sancho, 
mayhap then he whom they toffed in the 
blanket yefierday was not the fon of my fa- 
ther : and the bags that are loft tb-day, with 
all the goods in them, belonged to fome other 
per fon/' " What ! haft thou loft the bags, 
Sancho?" cried Don Qjiizote. ** Yes, fur<;,** 
faid the other. '' At that rate, then, we have no 
yiéhials' to eat ?" ' refumed the knight : '' That 
would certainly be the cafe, anfwered the 
fipiire, if the meadows did not fiirniih thofe 
herbs you iay you know with which unfor- 
tunate knights like your worfliip are wont to 
make up fuch loiTes." '* Yes, but for all that, 
replied Don Qjiixote, I could at prefent reliih 
a luncheon of brown bread, or a loaf, with a 
couple of red herrings,, better than all the; 


hcrbe d^fcrtbéd by Diofcorides, even with the 
annotations of do¿tor Laguna ; but, neverthe* 
lefd, mount thy beaft, honeft Sancho, and foU 
low me t God, who provides all things, will 
not be wanting to us : more efpecially as we 
are employed in his immediate fervice: he 
faileth not to provide for the gnats of the air, 
the infers of the earth, the fpawn of the fea ; 
and is fo beneficent, as to caufe the fun to ihine 
upon the ^d and bad^ and fendeth rain to 
the wicked as well as the righteous.'' ** Your 
worfliip, faid Sancho, is more fit to be a preach- 
er than a knight-errant." '' Knights-errant, 
replied his mailer, ever had, an^ ought to 
have, ibme knowledge of every thing : nay, 
fomc there have been in times paft, who would 
fiop to make a fermon or difcourfe upon the 
highway, with as much eloquence as if they 
had taken their degrees at the univerfity of 
Paris : . from whence, it may be inferred, that 
the lance was never blunted by the pen, nor 
the quill impeded by the huice." ".What 
your worfliip obferves, may be very true, faid 
Sancho; but, in the mean time, let us leave 
this place, and endeavour to get a night's 
lodging in fbme houfe or other, where God 
grant there may be neither blankets nor blank- 
eteers, nor phantoms, nor enchanted Moors ; 
elfe may the devil confound both hook and 
crook !'^ 


tZZ DON QJJ IXOTl^ 

*^ Implore the prote&ion of God^ my fen^ 
anfwered the knight, and letd me where thou 
wilt : for this once, I leave our lodging to thy 
care; but reach hither thy hand, and &el with 
thy finger how many teeth I have loft on this 
right fide of my upper jaw, which ia the place 
that gives me the greateft pain." Sancho in<». 
troduced his fingers, and having carefully exa<» 
mined his gums, ^ How many teeth, faid he^ 
was your worihip wont to have in this place ?'* 
^ Four, befides the dog tooth, anfwered Don 
Qjuxote, all of them found and whole*" ^^ Con* 
fider what your worfhip fays ?" replied San-^ 
cho. ^' I fiiy four, if not five, refumed the 
knight ; for, in all my life, I never loft tooth 
or fang, either by worm, rheum, or fcurvy/^ 
*' At prefent, faid the fquire, in that part of 
the lower jaw, your worftiip has but two grin* 
ders and a half; and above, neither half nor 
whole ; all is fmooth as the palm of my hand»" 
^' Cruel fortune ! cried Don Q)iixote, hearing 
this melancholy piece of news, would they 
had rather demoliihed a limb, fo it had not 
been the fword arm: for I would have thee to 
know, Sancho, that a mouth Mdthout grinders, 
is like a mill without a millftone : and a ^ tooth 
is worth a treáfure, but fuch mifchances al^ 
ways attend us who profeft the ftrift order of 

* I have cadeavoared fo preferve an alliteration in tDOth and tre»- 
fure, after Che example of Cervántesj who feems to faa?« iuteoded 
iv in the words Ditnti and Oiámmitt. 


DON QJJlXOTt. 42^ 

chivalry: get up, friend, and lead the way, 
. and I will follow at thy own pace/' Sancho 
complied with his defire, and took the way 
that feemed moil likely to lead to ibme accom* 
modation, without quitting the high road, 
which was thereabouts very much frequented* 
While they jogged on foftly, becaufe the pain 
in Don Quixote's jaws would not fuffer him ta 
be quiet, or exert himfelf in pufliing forward^ 
Sancho^ being defirous of entertaining and di» 
verting him with his difcourfe, faid, amoog^ 
other things, what will be rehearfed in the fbU 
lowing chapter* 


CHAP. V. 


jh account of thifage dijcourft that pajjid betwan S¿mcb§^ 
and his mafttr : the fucacding adventure of the corffe^ 
with other remariabie events. 

<< In my opinion, my good mafter, all the 
mifventures, which have this day happened to 
us, are defigned as a puniihment for the fins 
committed by your-worihip» innegleding to 
fiilfil the oath you took, not to eat off a table- 
clodi, nor folace yourfelf with the queen ; u>* 
gether with all the reft that follows, which 
your worihip fwore to oblerve, until luch timc^^ 


224 DON QJJ I X O T £; 

as you could carxy off that helmet of Malaii« 
driuo, or how d'ye call the Moor ? for I don't 
remember his right name.'' " Thou art very 
much in the right, (aid Don Quixote : to deal 
ingenuoufly with thee, Sancho, that afiair had 
a&ually flipt out of my remembrance; and 
thou mayeil depend upon it, that afiair of the 
blanketing happened to theé for the fault thou 
waft guilty of, in omitting to put me in mind 
of it in time : but I will make an atonement; 
for there are methods of compounding every 
thing in the order of chivalry." '' Did I fwear 
any thing?" replied Sancho. " Your not 
having fwom is of no importance, faid Don 
Qgixote ; it is enough that I know you to be 
concerned as an acceifary ; and whether that 
be the cafe or not, it will not be amifs to pro- 
vide a remedy." ** Well then, replied the 
fquire, I hope your worihip will not foi^et this, 
as you did the oath: perhaps the phantoms 
may take it in their heads i^in to divert them- 
feives with me, and even with your worihip, 
if they find you obftinatc." 

In this and other fuch difcourfe, night over- 
took them in the midii of their journey, be* 
£>re they could light on or difcover any houfe 
where they could procure lodging ; and what 
was worfe, they were almoft famiihed : for in 
their bags they had loft their whole buttery 
and provifion : naj, to crowa their misfor- 


DON Q^UIXOTE. 225 

tuoe, an adventare happened to tbem, that, 
without any exaggeration, might have adually 
paffird for fomething preternatural. Though 
the night ihut in very dark, they continued 
travelling, Sancho believing that, as they were 
in the king*8 highway, they ihould probably 
find an inn at the diftance of á league or two. 

Jogging on, therefore, under cloud of night, 
the fquire exceedingly hungry, and the mailer 
very well difpofed to eat, they defcried upon 
the road before them a vaft number of lights, 
that feemed like moving flars, approaching 
them. Sancho was confounded at the fight; 
the meaning of which even Don Qgixote could 
not comprehend : the one checked his afs, the 
other pulled in his horfe's bridle, and both 
halted, in order to gaze attentively at the ap- 
parition of the lights, which feemed to increafe 
the nearer they came. This being perceived 
by the fquire, he began to quake like quick- 
filver ; and the hair bridled upon Don Qgixote^s 
head : neverthelefs, recolleÁing himfelf a lit- 
tle, ^ Without doubt, Sancho, laid he, this 
nuft be a vaft and perilous adventure, in which 
I fliall be obliged to exert my whole ftrength 
and prowefs.** ^ Woe is me ! cried Sancho, 
if perchance this Ihould be an adventure of 
phantoms, as I am afraid it is, where ihall I 
find ribs for the occafion ?" '* Phant<Mns or not 
phantoms, faid the knight, I will not fufier 
Vol. I. Ct 


/ 


iz6 »0¥ <ivixt9r% 

(hem to touch a thread of thy cloaths : if they 
made merry at thy €xptnce before, it waa 
owing to my incapacity to climb over the yard 
wall : but at pre&nt we are in an open fields 
where I can manage my fword aa I pleafe.'' 
^' But if they ihould benumb and bewitch you, 
as they did in the morning, did the fquire» 
what benefit ihall I receive from being in the 
open field ?" '* Be that aa it will, replied Don 
Qgjzote, I befeech thee, Saiicho, be of good 
courage ; and thou Ihalt foon know by eiipe* 
rience, how much I am matter of that virtue/' 
8ancho accordingly promifed to do his beft, 
with God's aí&ítance : thea they both ftept to 
one fide of the road, and began to gaze again 
with great attention^ While they were thui 
endeavouring to difcem the meaning of the 
lights, they perceived a great number of per* 
fons ÍQ white : which dreadfiil ñüoa entirely 
fxtinguiihed the courage of Sancho Panza, 
whofe teeth began to chatter, as if he had beea 
in the cold fit of* an ague ; and this agitation 
zuá (^battering increafed, when they faw them 
9iore diftindly : for, iirft and foremoft appear* 
ed about twenty perfons on horfeback, all of 
them cloathed in white, with each a lighted 
flambeau in his hand, muttering in a low and 
plaintive tone. Behind them came a litter co* 
vered with black, followed by fix mounted ca* 
valiers in deep mourning, that trailed at the 
very heels q( their mules, which were eafily 


o N QJÜ 1 X O T S. ízf 

tiiftinguiíhed from horlbs, by the flownefs of 
their pace. 

This ftrange vifion, at fuch an húat, and 
in fuch a defert place, was, furely, fufficient to 
fmite the heart of Sancho with fear, and even 
make an impreÜion upon his mailer ; and this 
would have been the cafe, had he been any 
other than Don Quixote : as for the fquire^ his 
whole ftock of refolution went to wreck « It 
was not fo with his mafter, whofe imagination 
clearly reprefented to him, that this was exzGt" 
ly an adventure of the fame kind with thofe he 
.had read in books of chivalry : that the cloie 
litter was a bier, in which was carried fome 
dead or wotmded knight, the revenge of whofe 
wrongs waa referved for him alone: where- 
fore, without canvafling the matter any further, 
he fet his lance in the reft, fixed himfelf in 
his feat, and with the moft genteel and gallant 
deportment, placing himfelf in the middle of 
the road, through which they were indifpen- 
fibly obliged to pafs ; he raifed his voice, and 
called to them as they approached : 

" Halt, knights, whofoever ye are, and give 
•an account of yourfclvcs: whence came ye? 
whither go ye ? and what are you carrying off 
in that bier ? for, in all appearance, you have 
either done or received an injury ; and it is 
necefTary and convenient that I fliould know 


zzi BOH qjaixQ.r^ 

it^ in order to cfaaíliíe you for what you'ftie 
now doing, or revenge the wrong yoci hiifc 
already done." " We are at prefent in a 
hnrry, re|)Ued one of the phantoms in white ; 
the inn we intead to lodge at is &r ofif, and 
we cannot ftay to give fuch a tedious account 
«8 you defire." So bying, he fpurred on his 
mule ; while Don Qgixote, mightily incenfi»! 
at this reply» laid hold of his bridle, faying, 
^ Stand, and anfwer the queiUons I have aik- 
td, with more civiliiy ; otherwife I will give 
hútde to you all." 

The mule being ikittifl^ was frighted in 
loch a manner, at being feized by the bridle, 
that rcariaiig on her hind feet, ihe fell back- 
ward upon her rider ; and a fervant on fix)t, 
.feeing his mafter fall, began to revile Don 
€tgÍ3i;ote, whofe choltr being already provoked, 
he couched his lancc^ and without hefitation 
attacked one of the mourners, who foon fell 
to the ground, moft xmferably mauled: then 
wheeling about upon the reft, it was furprifing 
to fee with what difpatch be ai&ulted and put 
them to the rout ! while Rozinante aded with 
fuch agility and fury, that oiae would have 
fworu, 9t that inftant, a pair of wings had 
fprusg from his back. All the fquadron ar- 
rayed: in white» was compofed of timorous and 
unarmed people» who were fain to get out <^ 
the fray as foon as pofiible» and beg^ tn figr 


DOM Q^UIXOTB¿ £29 

Mioís tlie plain, with their lighted torches^ 
like fo many maikers in carnival time. The 
Bloomers being involyed and intangled in their 
long robes^ could not ftir out of the way; 
fo that Don Qgizote» without running any 
riik, drubbed them all round, and obliged 
them at length to quit the field, much againft 
their inclination ; for they a¿hially believed hs 
was no man, but a devil incarnate, who lay in 
wait to carry off the dead body that was in the 
litter. 

All this while Sancho flood beholding with 
admiration, the courage and intrepidity of the 
knight ; faying within himfel^ '* This mafter 
of mine is certainly as ftrong and valiant as 
he pretends to be." 

Mean while, Don Qjuxote, by the light of 
a torch that lay burning on the ground, per« 
ceiving the firil whom the mule overthrew, 
rode up to him, and clapping the point of his 
lance to the poor man's throat, commanded 
him to yield ; otherwife he would put him to 
death. To this declaration the other anfwer» 
ed, '^ Methinks I am already fufficiently quiet ; 
for one of my legs is broke, fo that I cannot 
ftir ; I befeech your worihip, therefore, if you 
be a chriftian, not to kill me, as in fo doing 
you will commit the horrid fin of facrilege ; 
for I am a licentiate, and have taken holy 


230 DO N Q^U I X O T B: 

orders/^ ^^ If you are an ecclefiaftie, what 
the devil broug^ht you here ?" cried Don Quix- 
ote. '^ The devil indeed I think it was," an-* 
fweied the overthrown prieft : " You will have 
to do with worfe than the devil, faid the 
knight, if you refiife the iatisfadion I at firft 
demanded/' ^ That is eaüly granted, replied 
the other ; and in the firft place your worihip 
muft know, that tho' I juft now called myfelf 
a licentiate, I :^m no more than a bachelor: 
my name is Alon;co Lope? ; I was born at Ah 
covendas; and now come from the city of 
Bac^a, in company with eleven other priefts, 
who are thofe who fled with the torcías : we 
are conveying to Segovia that litter which con* 
tains the corpfe of a gentleman who died in 
BacQa, where it wa^ depofited till now (as I 
was faying), that we are carrying his bones to 
l)e interred at Segovia, which was the place. of 
his nativity," *^ And who killed hiin ?" faid 
Don Qjiizote. *^ Cod himfelf, replied the ba- 
chelor, by means of a peftilential calenture 
that feized him !" " At that rate, refiimed the 
knight, the Lord hath faved me the trouble 
of avenging his death, as I would have done, 
had he been ilain by any mortal arm; but, 
confidering how he died, there is nothing to 
be done, except to ihrug up our flioulders, in 
filence : for this is all that could happen, even 
if I myfelf ihould fall by the fame hand ; and 
I deñre your reverence would take notice, that 


DON qjj I X o T E» ^31 

I am a knight of La Mancha, called Don Qyix* 
ote, whofe office and exercife it is to travel 
thro' the world, redrefling grievances and 
righting wrongs ^Z' '* I do not know how 
yon can call this behaviour righting wrongs, 
laid the bachelor : I am fure you have changed 
my right into wrong, by breaking my leg, 
which will never be fet to rights again fo long 
as I live; and the grievances you have re* 
dreíTed for me, have been to i^grieve me in 
iiich a manner, as that I Ihall never ceafe 
|o grieve at my mifventure, in meeting with 
you, while you was in fearch of adventures," • 
^' All things do not equally fucceed, obferved 
the knight}, it was the misfortune of you and 
your companions, Mr. Bachelor Alonzo Lo- 
pez, to travel in the night, with thefe furplices 
and lighted flambeaus, finging all the way, 
before people clad in deep mourning, fo that 
you feemed a company of ghoils broke from 
the other world; therefore I could not help 
performing my duty in attacking you : and I 
would have behaved in the lame manner had 
I a&ually known you to be really and truly 
the inhabitants of hell; for fuch indeed I 
thought you were," " Since my hard fate 
would have it fo, faid the bachelor, I intreat 
your worihip, Sir knight-errant, who have been 

* Knights engaged therofelves, by oath, to proteél the widow and 
tlic orphan, to redrefi all injuries, and, m a fpecial manner, to de« 
Iciid the char j|¿im of Uidics by force of arni^. 


fQZ DON JCiVlXOriL 

iJbd caufe of an imlitckj emndtomé» to Up 
ibt in getting from under the mule, which keqa 
one of my legs f9Íi: jammed benraen the fiir« 
mp and the iaddk/' ^ I might haive talked 
on till morning, faid the knight ; why did not 
yoia inform me a£ your diilrefe ibaneri" 

He then called aload to Sancho, who war 
u no hurry to hear him, bnt bufy in rummage 
mg a iumpter^mule which thofe honed priefts 
brought along with them, well finniihed with 
piroTifions. Having made a bag of bis great 
coat, into which he crammed at much of their 
vi£bal8 as it would hold, he loaded his afs 
with the bundle, and then lunmng up to bis 
nailer, helped to free Mr. Bachelor from the 
oppreiEon of his mule, on which havii^ 
mounted him, with a torch in his hand, Don 
C^ixote advifed him to follow the route of his 
companions; and defired him to beg their 
pardon in bis name, for the injury he bad 
done them, as it was not in his power to avoid 
it. Sancho likewife interpofing, faid, <^ If in 
cafe the gentlemen ihould want to know who 
the valiant hero is who put them to flight, 
your worlhip may tell them, that he is the fa- 
mous Don Quixote de la Mancha, otherwife fur^ 
jiamed the Knight of the Rueful Countenance," 

. Thus difmiíTed, the bachelor purfucd his 
ivay ; and the knight aiked wh^t had ind\;rced 


Don Q^ÜIX6T& ¿33 

Saaclio now, rather than at any other time, 
to ftilc hisd the Knight of the Rueful Counte* 
nance ?*^ ^. Truly, anfwered Sancho, I have 
been looking at you fome time by the light 
of that torch the unfortunate traveller held in 
Ms hand; and in good faith, your woríhip 
cuts the moft difmal figure I have almoft ever 
ieen ; and it muft certainly be occafioned either 
by the fatigue you have undergone in this bat« 
tie, or by the want of your teeth/* " That is 
not the cafe, replied his mailer ; but the fage 
who is deftined to write the hiftory of my 
exploits, hath thought proper that I fliould af^ 
iume lome appellation, by the example of fbr-i 
mer knights, one of whom took the title of 
the Flaming Sword ; another of the Unicom ; 
a third of the Ladies ; a fimrth of the Phoenix ; 
a fifth of the Griffin ; a fixth called himfelf 
the Knight of Death : and by thefe epithets 
and lymbols they were known all over the 
face of the earth ; and therefore I fay, that the 
ibre-mentioned fage hath now put it into thy 
thoughts, and direétid thy tongue to call me 
the Knight of the Ruefful Countenance ; an ap* 
pellation that henceforward I adopt : and that it 
may fuit me the better, I am rcfolved to have 
a moft woeful figure painted upon my Ihield, 
with the firft opportunity/* " There is no 
occafion, faid Sancho, to throw away time and 
money on fiich a device; your woríhip has 
nothing more to do but uncover your facer' 


^34 ^^^ ^UIKOTS. 

and III wanant thole who behold it will call 
it a rueful one, without your having recourfe 
to piéhires and ihields to explain your mean- 
ing; and you n)ay beUeve I tell you nothing 
but the truth, when I maintain, tho' it be but 
in jeft, that hunger and the want of teeth 
makes your worfliip look fo ill favouredly, that 
we may very well fiive the e^qpence of a rueful 
pifture." 

Don Qgbcote could not help laughing at tho 
pleafantry of Sancho, tho' he a£hially deter-» 
piined to aflume that name, and have Ids Ihield 
«nd target painted according to hÍ8 £incy. '^ I 
know, Sancho, faid he, that I have incurred 
the fentence of excommunication, for having 
laid violent hands on confecrated things, ac* 
cording to the canon, ^ Si quis fuadente dia« 
bolo, &c/ yet you know I touched them not 
with my hands, but with my lance; and even 
then never dreamed of injuring priefts, or of 
giving the fmalleft offence to the church, which 
I refpci^ and adore, like a faithfiil catholic and 
Chriilian as I am ; but, on the contrary» took 
them for phantoms and beings of another 
world ; but the cafe being as it is, I remember 
v/hat happened to the Cid Ruy Diaz, who 
broke to pieces the chair of a certain king^s 
ambailador, in prefence of his holinefs the 
pope ; for which outrage he was excommuni- 
cated ; and that very day the worthy Rodrigo 


P o M QJJ I X 6 T E 2^^ 

de Vivar behaved like a valiant and honourable 
knight*" 

The bachelor being gone, as we have ob- 
ferved, without anfwering one word, Don 
Ctgizote ezprefied a defire of examining the 
litter, to fee if it really contained a corpfe ; 
but Sancho would by no means confent to this 
inquiry j faying, ^* Your worihip has already 
finiflied this perilous adventure, with lefs da- 
nmge to yonrfelf than I have feen you receive 
in any other ; but the people whom you have 
conquered and overthrown may chance to re- 
colle£): that they were vanquiflied by a fingle 
man, and be fo much aihamed and confound- 
ed at their own cowardice, as to rally, and if 
they find us, give us our bellyful. Dapple i* 
at prefent very comfortably fumiihed; there 
is an uninhabited mountain hard by, hunger 
is craving, we have nothing to do but retreat 
thither at a gentle trot : and, as the faying is, 
* the dead to th^ bier, and the living to good 
cheer.' With thefe words he took the lead 
with his afs, aud the knight thinking there 
was a good deal of reafon in what he faid, foU 
lowed him very peaceably, without making any 
reply, 

When they had travelled a litde way be-i 
tween two hills, they found themfelves in a 
fpacipus and retired valley, where they ali^ht^ 


z¿6 voir 0JUIXQT9, 

cd ; Sancho unlMded the k&, they fiít donn 
on the green turf, and, with hunger for their 
fauce, difpatched their break£ift, dinner, af- 
ternoon'« luncheon» and fupper at one meal ; 
folacing their ftomacha out of more th^n one 
baiket, which the eccleíiailicai attendants of 
the deíunéi, who ieldom negleA thefe things» 
had brought along with them on their fumpter« 
mule: but another misfortune befel them, 
which, in Sancho'iB opinion, was the worft 
that could happen ; they had not one drop of 
wine to drink, nor indeed of water to cool 
their throats, fo that they were parched with 
thirft : then the fquire, perceiving the meadow 
where they fat was overgrown with green and 
tender grafs, made the propolal which may be 
leen in the following chapter. 


CHAR VL 

0/ tie unfiin and unheari^f adveniuri éttcbiévéá éf 
tbi valiant Dm ^ixeU it la Mancha^ mtb kfs 
baxard than iver amended awf acplMt fitfimted bj 
the moji nnowmd knigbt on ¿artb. 

'' This grafs, my good nafter, pnivcs, be. 
yond all contradi&ion, diat there muft be 
fome fpring or rivulet hereabouts by which it 


^ 


18 watered ; and thetelbie, we had better pro** 
ceed a little farther, until we find wherewith 
to allay this terrible thirft, which is more 
painful and fatiguing than hunger alone«^ 
This advice appearing rational to Don Q^zote^ 
he took hold of Rozinante's bridle, and San- 
cho leadii^ Dapple by the halter, after he had 
loaded him again widi the fragments of their 
fiipper, they began to move farther into the 
meadow, at a venture; for the night was fo 
dark, they could not diftinguiíh one olgefi 
ñom another: but they had not gcme two 
fanndred paces, when their ears were laluted 
with a prodigiouft noife of water, that ieemed 
to ruih down firom feme huge and lofty rocks: 
they were infinitely rejoiced at the found, 
when halting to liften, that they might know 
whence it came, they were all of a fiidden 
forprtfed with another kind of noife, that foon 
damped the pkafiire occafioned by the water» 
efpecially in Sancho^ who was naturally fisar- 
fiil and faint-hearted: I £iy they heard the 
found of regular ilrokes, accompanied with 
flrange clanking of iron chains^ which, added 
to the dreadful din of the catans^ would hare 
finóte doie heart of any odier but Don QgtxotB 
with Soar aind conflemation. 

The ni;^ as.we have already obfisnw), was 
dark, our travellers happened at diisttrae.lD 
be in a^iove of tall trees, wfaofc leaves» now 


238 cow <IV IXOTt, 

ing gently by the wind, yielded a ibrt ót 
dreary whifper: fo that the folitude of the 
place, the darknefs of the night, the noife of 
the water, and ruftling of the leaves, concur- 
red to infpire them with horror and difmay : 
the more fo, as the ftrokes were continued, the 
wind iighed on, and the morning was fiir off; 
and all thefe circnmltances were aggncvated 
by their ignorance of the place in which they 
Were* But Don Qjiixote, encouraged by his 
dwn intrepid healrt, mounted Rozinante, braced 
his ihield, and brandilhing his lance, '^ Friend 
Sancho, cried he, know that I was born by 
heaven's appointment in thefe iron times to re- 
vive the age of gold, or, as it is ufually called, 
the golden age. I am he for whom ftrangc 
perils, valiant deeds, and vaft adventures are 
referved ! I am he, I fay, ordained to re-eftab^ 
liih the knights of the round table, the twelve 
peers of France, with the nine worthies; he 
whofe feats fliall bury in oblivion the Platirs, 
Tablantes, Olivantes, and Tirantes, the Fe- 
bufes and Belianifes, together with the whole 
tribe of knights-errant who lived in former 
times ; performing fuch mighty and an»zing 
deeds of arms, as will eclipfe their moft re- 
nowned ads! Confider well, thou true and 
loyal fquire, the darknefs and the folemn ftill^ 
nefs of this night, the indiftind and hollow 
whifpering of thefe trees, the dreadful din of 
that, water we came to feek, which feems to 


DON QJJIXO Tt. ¿3^ 

hifii and rumble down from the lofty momi- 
tains of the moon ; together with thefe incef- 
iant ftrokes that ftrike and womid our ears : 
all thofe circumftances united, or each fingly 
by itfelf, is fufficient to infufe fear, terror, and 
diíínay into the breaft of Mars himfelf ; but 
nmch more in him who is altogether imaccuf- 
tomed to fuch adventures and events. Tet all 
I have defcribed are only incentives that awak- 
en my courage, and already caufe my heart to 
rebound within my breaft, with delire to at- 
chieve this advenmre, howfoever difficult it 
may ap))ear to be ! Therefore ftraiten Rozi* 
nante's girth, recommend thyfelf to God, and 
wait for me in this place, three days at fartheft» 
within which time> if I come not back, thou 
may'ft return to our village, and as the laft 
favour and fervice done to me, go from thence 
to Tobofo, and inform my incomparable mif- 
trefs Dulcinea, that her captive knight died in 
attempting things that might render him wor« 
thy to be called her lover/' 

When Sancho heard thefe laft words of his 
mafter, he began to blubber with incredible 
tendemefs. ^* I cannot conceive, faid he, why 
your worfiiip fliould attempt fuch a terrible 
adventure : it is now dark, and nobody fees 
us ; therefore we may mm out of this road 
and avoid the dax^er, though we Ihould not 
tafte liquor tl^e three days ; and if nobody 


fees U8^ wc xua no riik of being adcufed <tf 
cowardice ; befides> I have heard the curate of 
our town» whom youtr worfliip knows very 
well» remark in his preaching, ^ he that feeketb 
danger periiheth therein :' therefore it xü!ú& be 
a fin to tempt God by engaging in this raih ez« 
ploit, from whence there is no efcaping With* 
out a miracle : and heaven hath wrought enough 
pf them already» in pf eíerviog you from being 
blanketed as I was, and bringing you off eoia» 
queror, with fonnd^ wind and limb» firoo» the 
midfi of lb many adverfariea as aeeompanied 
the dead man : and if all this will not move 
you» nor foñen your ru^ed heart, fure you 
will relent, when you confider and are aSured 
that your worihip will be fcarce gone from 
hence, when I ihall, through pure fear, yield 
my life to any thing thaA may choofe to take 
It. I left my habitatiosi* Urife.and children» 
to c(H&e and fervc your Svorfliip, believing it 
would be the better, not the worfe for me fo to 
do : but as greedinefs burfta the bog,, ib is the 
bag of my hopes biurften ; for when they are 
at the h^^beft pitch, in expeiUtion of that 
curft unlucky illand your worihip has prondfed 
me fo often, I find, in lieu of that, you want 
to make me amends by leaving me in this de-> 
fert, Removed from all human footftepe : for 
the love of God, dear mafter, do me not fuch 
wrong; or if your worihip is lefolved to ab* 
tempt this atchievement at any rate» at kaft 


DON Q^VIXOTS» 

deky it till morning, which, according to the 
figHs I learned when I was a ihepherd, will ap« 
pear in lefs dun three hoars ; for the niu»le 
of the bear* is at the top of his head, and 
ifaews midnight in the line of the left paw.'* 

'^ How canft thou perceive, faid Don Qgiz- 
ote, that line or head, or muzzle, thou talked 
of; when the ni^t is fo dark that there is not 
a ftar to be feen )" *^ It is fo, anfwered San* 
cho, but fear hath many ejres ; and I can at 
prefent behold things that are hid within the 
bowels of the earth, much more thole that ap« 
pear in the firmament above : a man of found 
judgment, like me, can eafily foretel that it 
will foon be day/' '^ Let it come when it will, 
anfwered Don Qgixote, it ihall not be faid of 
me, either now or at any other time, that I was 
diverted by tears and intreaties from doing 
what I owed to the cuftoms of chivalry: I 
therefore befeech thee, Sancho, to hold thy 
peace; ¿nt God, who hath put it in my heart 
to attempt this dreadful and unfeen adventure» 
will doubtlefs take care of my fa&ty, and 
comfort thee in thy affliction : thy bufinefs at 
|Nrefent is to gird fail Rozinante, and remain 
in this place ; for dead or alive I will foon 
return.'' 

* InCaftUiao, Bocina íígniSes » «oraet or hnndng boni, to whlcU 
Úifi Spaotards ^pofo the cgoft^Uauoa of Uria Mioar bean iome re- 
fimblance. 

Vol. I. R 


Z^Z DON Q^U I X O T B. 

r Sancho finding this was the final refolutioii 
of his maftcr, and how little all his tears, ad- 
vice, and intreaties availed, determined to 
make ufe of ftratagem to detain the knight, if 
poíüble, till morning : with this purpofe, under 
pretence of adjufting the girth of Rozinante» 
he ' fair and foftly, without being perceived, 
tied two of the horfe's feet together with the 
halter of his afs, in fuch a manner that, when 
Don Qjiizote attempted to depart, be found it 
impofiible, beeaufe his fteed could move no 
otherwife than by leap». The fquire perceiv- 
ing the fuccefs of his invention, '^ Sir, faid he, 
you may fee that Heaven, melted by my tears 
and prayers, hath ordained that Rozinante 
ihall not ñir ; and if you obilinately perfifl in 
fpurring and driving him on, you will only 
give oiTence to Providence, and as the faying 
is, kick againft the pricks/' 

The knight a¿lually defpaired of making 
him go forward, beeaufe the rhorc he goaded 
his horfe, the lefs was he inclined to ftir : and 
therefore, without gueiling a tittle of the liga- 
ture, thought proper to fubmit and wait with 
patience, either till morning, or fuch time as 
Rozinante fliould recover the ufe of his limbs ; 
believing for certain that his difappointment 
was owing to another caufe than the craft of 
his fquire, to whom he faid: ** Since Rozi- 
nante is incapable of moving, I am content t^ 


.^vait for tlie dawn, tho' I cannot help lament- 
ing its delay." *' You ihall have no caufe of 
lamentation, anfwered Sancho, I will enter- 
tain your worihip with telling ftories till day, 
unlefB yoU'Choofe to alight, and take a nap 
on the foft gr^ifs, according to the cuftom of 
knights-errant, that you may find yourfelf re- 
freihed when day breaks, and ready to under- 
take the unconfcionable adventure that awaits 
you.**. ** Talk not to me of alighting or flecp- 
ing, faid Don Qjiixote ; doll thou imagine me 
to be one of thofe knights who feek their re- 
pofe in times of danger ? Sleep thou who waft 
born to fleep, or follow thy own inclinations ; 
for my own part I will behave as becomes a 
perfon of my pretenfions.*' " Let not your 
worfliip be offended ; for that was not my in- 
tention when I fpoke," anfwered Sancho, who 
coming clofe to him, laid hold of the faddle 
hefore and behind, and ftood embracing his 
mafter's left thigh without daring to ftir a fin- 
ger's breadth from the fpot ; fuch was his con- 
fiemation infpired by the ftrokcs, which all 
.this time founded alternately in his ears. 

Thjcn Don Q^xote claiming his promife of 
entertaining him with fome fiory ; *^ I would 
M^ith all my heart, faid Sancho, if the dread 
of what I hear would allow me ; but neverthe- 
lels I will try to force out one ftory, which if 
I hit it aright, without letting it (lip thro* my 


Í44 tóv Kipixoti. 

hands^ is tlie beft tak that ever was ttXA ; tbere-^ 
fore I would have your worihip be attentivey 
for thus I begin : 

"There was, fe there was; the good thai 
fliall fall betide us all ; and he that Asekfr evil, 
may he meet with the deviL Tour worihip 
snay take notice, that the beginning of ancient 
tales, is not juft what came into die head of 
the teller: no^ they always began with fome 
laying of Cato the Cenfor of Rome, like this» 
of ' He that feeks evil, may he meet with the 
devil.' And truly it comes as pat to the pur* 
pofe as the ring to my finger, in order to per- 
luade your worihip to remain where you are^ 
without going in fearch of evil vtx any manner 
of way ; or elfe to turn into another road, 
fince we are not bound to fellow this in which 
we have been furprized with fear and terror.** 
^ Follow thy ftory, Sancho^ faid. Doft G^i>> 
ote, and as to the road we have to fellow, 
leave the care of that to me/' ^ To proceed 
then, faid Sancho : in a certain village of Eftie» 
madura, there lived a certain goat-lhephefd.. 
I mean one that kept goats ; and this ihepherd 
or goat-herd, as the fiory goes, was called 
Lope Ruyz; and it came to pafs> that thi» 
Lope Rnyz fell in love with a Óiepherdefa 
whofe name was Torralva ; which (hepherdefs, 
whote name was Torralva,^ was the daughter 


PON <^U I X O T Er 245 

of a rich herdfmaaj and this rich hcrdf* 


wan"- 


^ If thoQ telleft thy ule iu th\s manner, 
cried Don Quixote» repeating every circum* 
itance twice over, it will not be finiihed thefe 
two days; proceed therefore cotre&ly/and 
rehearfe it like a man of underftanding; other* 
wife thon hadft better hold thy tdngñe,*' ** III 
my country, anfwered Sancho, all the old ño* 
ries are told in this manner ; neither can I tell 
it in any other : nor is it civil in your worihip 
to defire I ihould change the cuAom."' *' Take 
thy own way, faid the knight ; and ¿nee it is 
the will of fate that I ihould hear thee, pray 
go on," 

" Well then, good mailer of mine, pro- 
ceeded Sancho, that fame fliepherd, as I have 
already remarked, fell in love with the ihep« 
herdefs Torralva, who was a thick brawny 
wench, a little coy, atid fomewhat mafcnline ; 
for ihe wore a fort of lúuftachios : methinks I 
fee her oow for all the worlds" ** Then thoa 
kneweft her?*' faid the knight. " Not I, an- 
fwered the fquire, but the perfon who told me 
the ftory, faid it was fo true and certain, that if 
ever I fliould chance to tell it again, I might 
affirm upon oath, that I had feen it with my 
Own eye s A nd fo, in procefs of time, the 
devil, who never fleeps^ but wants to have a 


246 DON Q^ÜIXOTE. 

finger in every pye, managed matters in fuch 
a manner, that the ihepherd's love for the ihep* 
herdefs was turned into malice and deadly 
hntt : and the caufe, according to evil tongues, 
ivas a certain quantity of fmall jealoufies ihe 
gave him, exceeding all bounds of meafure. 
Aud fuch was the abhorrence thq ihepherd 
conceived for her, from that good day forward, 
that, in order to avoid the light of her, he re* 
folved to abfent himielf from his own country, 
and go where he ihould never fet eyes on her 
again. Torralva, finding herfelf defpifed by 
Lope, began to love him more than ever." 
^' That is the natural difpofition of the fez, 
laid Don Qjxixotc, to difdain thof^ who adore 
them, and love thofe by whom they are ^bhor^ 
red : but proceed, Sancho.'* 

<' It fi> fell out, faid Sancho, that the fhep^ 
herd put his refolution in pra¿iice, and driv* 
ing his goats before him, travelled through the 
plains of Eilremadura, towards the kingdom 
of Portugal. Torralva, having got an inkling 
of his defign, was foon at his heels, following 
him on foot, aye, and barefoot too, with a pil- 
grim's ñaff in her hand, and a wallet at her 
back, iu which, as the report goes, ihe carried 
a bit of a looking-glafs, a broken comb, and 
a kind of vial of waih for her complexion; 
but howfomevcr, whether ihe carried thefe. 
tilings or not, I ihall not at prefent take upon 


DOM QJJlXOTt: 247 

me to aver; but only fay what is recorded^ 
that the ihepherd came with his flock to the 
river Guadiana, which at that time was very 
high, having almoft forfaken its cliannel : and 
finding at the place neither boat nor bark to 
carry himfelf and his flock to the other fide, 
he was very much in the dumps becaufe he 
faw Torralva behind him, and knew what he 
muil fufier from her tears and complaints : but 
looking about, he at lail perceived hard by 
him, a fiiherman in a boat, that was fo fmall 
as to contain only one perfon and one goat: 
neverthelefs /they firuck lip.a bargain, by 
which the man was to ferry over the ihepherd 
with his three hundred goats. . Accordingly 
the fiiherman took one goat into the boat and 
carried it over ; then he returned, ajid carried 
over another, then he remmed again to fetch 
another. Pray, good your worihip, keep an 
exaA account of the goats, as the fiiherman 
ferried them over;, for if one only ihould be 
loft in the reckoning, the ftory wiU break off, 
and it will be impoflible for me to relate one 
word more. To be ihort then, I fay, the land- 
ing place on the other fide being fiill of mud 
and flippery, was a great hindrance to the fiih- 
erman in his going and coming ; but however 
he returned fi>r the other goat, and then for 
fome more, and then for another." 

" Suppofe them all pafled over at once, f^i4 
Don Quixote, for if thou gocft backwards and 


t48 DON tlJ3 I X O T li 

ibrwards in tUé maaner, thou wUü not havQ 
them all ferried over in a year.'* <' How many 
hare already paiTed ?" faid the Sqpiire. ** How 
the devil Ihould I know V^ anfwered the knight« 
^ Did not I tell you to keep a good account? 
laid Sancho; now» before God! the tale is 
ended, and it is impoffible to proceed." *' How 
can that be i replied Don Qgi:iote, Í8 it fo ef-« 
fential to the ftory to know the nnmber of 
goats as they paiTed, fo precifely, that if I 
Inifreckon one thou canft not proceed ?" '* Cer^ 
tainly, fir, laid Sancho, I can proceed in no 
manner of Way : for when I defired your wor-i 
ihip to tell me what number of goats had palT^ 
ed, and you anfwered you did not know; at 
that inftant the whole of the ftory that remain^ 
ed untold, vaniihed from my remembrance) 
and upon my confcience ! it was very curióos 
and entertaining/' '^ At that rate then the 
ftory is at an end ?'' faid Don Quixote. ^* As 
much at an end, replied the fquire, as the mo* 
thcr that bore me." 

*' In good footh,. refumed the knight, thoix 
baft related the ftrangeft fable, tale, or ftory, 
that ever was invented ; and finiihed thf^ rela« 
tion in fuch a manner as never was or will be 
heard again in this world ; but nothing elfc 
was to be expe¿led &om thy found judgment t 
and indeed it is a matter of no admiration with 
me; becaufe I take it for granted, that thefo 


pon OJO ixQr% 249 

inceflaní ñxaka hate difordctíed úxy vaodttm 
ftanding." '^ Not onlikely, iaid Sancho ; bot 
this I know, that thexe it no more to be did 
of the tale, whiqh ended in that phice wheie 
the miilake began about the pafiage of the 
goats.*^ ^ In §pod time end it, accotding to 
thy own pkaíiue, jreplied the knight, and now 
let us fee if Rocinante will nove/' So ía3ñng^ 
he began again to fpor, and the hode to leap 
without movii^ from his nation^ lb cfiefhialljr 
had Sancho fittiered him. 

About this tíme, whether it was owing to 
the coolnefs of the mornhig that ajq^nached, 
or to his baring fupped upon fomething that 
was laxative ; or, which is more probable, to 
the operation of nature ; Sancho was iebied 
with an inclination and defire of doing that 
which oould no; be performed by proxy ; but 
fttch was the terror that had taken pofleffion of 
his foul, that he dnrft not move the breadth of a 
nail-pwing &om his mafter's fide : at the fame 
timt it was as impoifible for him to refift the 
inotion of his bowels ; and therefi>re to com« 
promife the matter, he ilipp'd his ri^ht hand 
irom the hinder part of the faddle, and witfa« 
eat any lioife, foftly undid the flip knot by 
which his breeches were kept up : upon which 
they of themfelves fell down to his heels, 
where they remained like a pair of ihackles ; 
h^ then gathered up his ihirt behind aa well as 


«50 PON Q^UIXOTE. 

he could ; and ezpofed his* pofieríors, whicli 
were none of the fmalleft, to the open air : 
this being done, and he imagined it was the 
chief ftep he could, take to deliver faimfelf 
from the prefling occafion and dilemma in 
which he was, another difiBcolty ftill ^eater 
occurred, namely, that he .ibcmld not be able 
todifencumber him&lf withoat noife : he there- 
fore began to JBx hia teeth clofe, ihrug up his 
Ihoulders, and hold in his breath widi all his 
might. But notwithftanding thefe precaudona, 
he was fo unlucky in the iiliie, as to produce 
a rambling found very difibrent from that 
which had terrified him fo much. It did not 
efcape the ears of Don Qgixote, who immedi- 
ately cried, ** What noife is that, Saneho ?'' 
^ I know not, fir, l^d the fquire, it mnft be 
fome new affiiir, for advenmres and mifvói* 
tures never begin with trifles/' He tried his 
fortune a fecond time, and . without any more 
noife or diforder freed himfélf from the load 
which had given him fo much uneafinefs* But 
as Don Qgixote's fenfe of fmelling was altc^ei- 
ther as acute as that of his hearing, and San^ 
cho ftood fo clofe to him that the vapours af^ 
cended towards him almoft in a diredi line, 
he could not exclude fqme of them from pay- 
ing a vifit to his nofe. Np fooner was he fenfi- 
ble of the firfi faluution, than in his own de«> 
fence he preiTed his nofe between his finger 
and thumb, and, in a fnuffling tone, pronouncr 


DON QJJ I X O T R 251 

cd, " Sancho, thou fecmcft to be in great 
fear,*' " I am fo, anfwered the fquire ; but 
how comes your woríhip to perceive my fears 
now more than ever/* " Becaufe at prefent 
thou fmelleft more than ever, . and that not of 
amber,'' replied the knight. *' That may be, 
faid Sancho ; but I am not fo much to blame 
as your woríhip, who drags me at fuch unfea- 
fonable hours into thefe uninhabited places.'' 
" Retire three or four fteps farther off, friend, 
refumed Don Quixote, ftopping his nofe all the 
time, and henceforth take more heed of thy 
own perfon, and remember what thou oweft 
to mine ; for I find the frequent converfation I 
maintain with thee, hath engendered this dif- 
refpeft." ** PU lay a wager, replied Sancho, 
that your woríhip thinks I have been doing 
fomething I ought not to have done." " The 
more you ilir it, friend Sancho, faid the 
knight, the more it will ftink.*' 

In this and other fuch difcourfe the mailer 
and his fquire pailed the night ; but Sancho 
perceiving the day begin to break apace, with 
great care and fecrecy unbound Rozinante and 
tied up his breeches. The beail, which Was 
naturally none of the briíkeíl, feemed to le- 
joioe at his freedom, and began to paw the 
ground ; for as to curveting, with his leave be 
U fpoken, he knew nothing of the matter* 
Pon Q¡iizote, finding him fo mettlefome, con- 


Z¡Z DON It^UIXOTSr 

oeived a good ornes, from his eagemeis» belier» 
mg it a certaia prefisige of his fucceís in the 
dreadful adventure he was about to atchieve» 
Aurora now difclofed herlel^ and obje£ls ap- 
pearing diftin&ljr^ Don Guisote fiiond him* 
felf in a groi?e of tall chefnut-trees, which 
fbjrmed a very thick ihade. The llrokea fiill 
continuing though he could not conceive the 
meaning of them> he without further delay 
made Romante feel the fpur ; then taming to 
take leave of Sancho, commanded him to wait 
three days at fiurtheft, as he had direded be* 
lore ; and if he ihoold not return be&re that 
time was expired, be might take it for granted 
that God IumI been pleafed to put a period to 
Ins life in that perilous adventure $ he again 
recommended to him the ^ mbaify and meilage 
he ihould carry from him to his miftrefs Dul* 
cinea, and bade him give himfeif no uneafi* 
nefs about his Wages ; £>r he had made a will 
before he quitted his family, in which he 
jfaould find his fervices repaid, by a faikry pro- 
portioned to the time of his attendaivce : but 
if Heaven ihould be pleaied to bring him off 
from that daiager, fafe, found and free; he 
might, beyond all queilion, lay his account 
with the government of the iflazid he had pro^ 
mifed hinu Sancho, hearing tliefe difinal ex- 
preffions of his worthy mafter repeated, be* 
gan to bhibber afreih, and refolved not to leave 


1^0 11 Q^UIXOtB. 255 

inm until the laft circumftance and xfiue of the 


From thefc tears, and this honourable de<» 
termination of Sancho Panza, the author of 
this hiftory conchides, that he mnft have been 
a gendeman born, or an old chriftian at leaft^ 
His mafter himfelf was melted a titde at this 
teiUmony of his afieftion^ but not fo much as 
to difcover the lead weakneis: on the con- 
tnuy, difguiiing his fentiments, he rode for- 
ward towards the place from whence the noilc 
of the firokes and water feemed to come; 
Sancho following on foot, and according to 
cuftom, leading by the halter his afs, which 
was the conftant companion of his good and 
evil forttme* Having travelled a good way 
among thofe ihady chefnut-trees, they arrived 
in a fmall meadow lying at the fiiot of a huge 
rock, over which a ftream of water rulhed 
down with vail impetuofity. Below appeared 
ft few wretched huts, that looked more like 
ruins than houfes, and they cbferved that irom 
ítíera proceeded the horrible din of theftrokes 
which hkd not yet ceafed. 

Roztnante being flarded at the dreadful noil^ 
of the fttokes and water, Don Qgijcote endea- 
voured to {both him, and advanced by lit(k 
and little towards the huts, recommending 
faimfelf in the moft eaneft manner to his mi¿^ 


trcfs, whofe favour he implored in the atchieve^ 
meat of that fearful enterprize : neither did he 
omit praying to God for his prote¿iion. San- 
cho, who never ftirred from his fide, thruft 
his neck as far as he could between the legs of 
Rozinante, ii^ order to difcover the obje&s that 
kept him in fuch terror and fufpence : and 
when they had proceeded about an hundred 
paces farther, at the doubling of a comer, 
fiood fully difclofed to view the very indi- 
vidual and undoubted caufe of this tremendous 
found, and terrible noife, which had filled 
them with fuch doubts and conñernation all 
night long. 

This was no other, be not offended gentle 
reader, than fix fulling hammers, which by 
their alternate ilrokes produced that amazing 
din. Don Qjuxote was ilruck dumb with año* 
niíhment at the fight ; Sancho looked at him, 
and found his head hanging down upon his 
breail,. and other manifeil figns of his being 
out of countenance. The knight in his turn . 
looked at the fquire, and faw his mouth ihut, 
his cheeks puffed up, with other fymptoms of 
bis being ready to buril with laughing : this 
jcomical Situation of the fquire, in fpitc of all 
his own melancholy, obliged the mañer to be- 
gin ; and Sancho no fooner beheld the feverity 
of the knight's features relaxed, than he open- 
ed the flood-gates of his mirth, which lH!oke 


DON QJÜ I X O TE» ¿55 

forth with fuch violence, that he was under 
the neceility of fupporting his fides with both 
fifts^ that they might not be rent to pieces by 
the convulfion. Four times did he exhauft» 
and as often renew the laugh with the fame 
impetuofity as at firft ; for which Don Quixote 
already wiihed him at the devil, more efpeci** 
ally 'when he heard him pronounce, by way of 
fneer, '^ Know, friend Sancho, that I was born 
by heaven's appointment, in thefe iron times» 
to revive the age of gold, or the golden age ! 
1 am he for whom ftrange perils, valiant deeds, 
and vaft adventures are referved!" And iii 
this manner he proceeded, repeating all, or 
the greater part of the knight's exclamation 
when they firft heard the terrible noife. 

Don Quixote, finding that Sancho made a 
jeft of him, was ib much aíhamed and pilovok- 
ed, that lifting up his lance, he beftowed upo^ 
him two or three thwacks, which had they 
fallen upon his head, as they lighted on his 
ihoulders, would have iaved his matter the trou* 
ble of paying his falary, unlefs it might be to 
his heirs. Sancho feeling his joke turned into 
fuch difagreeable earneft, which he was afraid 
might not be as yet over, addreflcd himfelf t^ 
his mafter with great humility, faying, '^ Good 
your worihip, forbear ; before God I was only 
in jeft." " Though you was in jeft, anfwered 
Don Qgixote» I was not quite fo merrily dif- 


pofed: come hither, Mr. Joker; don^t yotl 
think, that if infiead of fiilliog-haiBiiiers, thefd 
had been feme very daiigerou6 adveamre, I 
have (hewn coorage enotigh to undertake and 
stchieve it í Am I, who am a knight, oblig<« 
ed, forfooth, to diftlnguifli founds, and know 
which pmeeed from áilUag-mills, -and which 
do not ? efpecially at it may be the ^fe, and 
it i^aily is fo, thai I never faw one before ; 
iho' It it otherwife with thee, bafe plebeian ai 
thou art, who waft bom and bred up among 
diem ; bat fee if thoo ca&ft nietamorplK>fe thefe 
fix hammers into fo* many giants, and bring 
them within ann's length of me, one by one, 
or akogetfaer ; and if I don't make them lie 
with their heels uppermoft, make a jeft of me 
as much as you pleafe/' 

^ Enough, dear mailer, replied Sancho, I 
«oofefs I have exceeded a tittle in my plealan« 
fry; butpray tell me, now that we are at peace 
#gBÍn, as God Ihall deliver yonr worfltip from 
all iheceeding adventures as iafe and found as 
you have been extricated from this ; is not the 
terror with which we were feized a thing to be 
kughed at and repeated i I mean my own ter« 
it>r, for, as to your worihip, I know you are 
«n utter ftranger to terror and difmay!" ^I 
do not deny, anfwered Don Qgixote, that what 
httth happened lO us is ridiculous enough ; bat 
neveithekfs it ought not to he repeated ; be* 


DOM Q^ÜIXOTt. 257 

dufe every body has not dífcredón to take 
things by the right handle.'* " I am fure, re- 
plied Sancho, that your worihip knows how 
to handle your lance, with which, while you 
wanted to handle my head, you happened to 
falute my ihoulders; thanks be to God, and 
my own aAivity in avoiding the blow: but- all 
that when it is dry will rub out ; and I have 
often heard it faid, ' He that loves thee well 
will often make thee cry :' náy, it is a com- 
mon thing for your gentry, when they have 
faid a harih thing to a fervant, to make it up 
with him by giving him a pair of can breeches*; 
tho' I don't know what they ufe to give after 
having beaten him, unlefs it be the pra&ice of 
knights-errant, after blows, to give iilands or 
kingdoms on the main land." 

" Who knows, faid Don Qgixote, but the 
dice may run that way, and all that thou haft 
mentioned come to pafs: I afk pardon for 
what is paft, iince you are refolved tobe more 
difcreet for the fumre ; and as the firft emo- 
tions are not in a man's own power, I muft 
apprize thee henceforward to be more referv- 
ed, and abftain from fpeaking fo freely to me ; 
for in all the books of chivalry I have read, 
and they are almoft infinite, I never found that 
any fquire talked fo much to his mafter as thou 
haft talked to thine : and really both you and 
I are very much to blame ; thou in regarding 
Vol.- 1. S 


258 DON QJÜIXOTR 

me fo little, and I in not making myfelf re* 
garded more: was not Gandalin, fquire of 
' Amadis de Gaul, €ount of the Firm lílañd ? 
:and yet we read of him, that he always fpoke 
to his mañer cap in hand, with an inclination 
:of his head, and his body bent in the Turkilh 
manner. What need I mention Gafabais fquire 
to Don Galaor, who was fo referved, that, in 
order to exprefs the excellence of his furprif- 
ing filence, his name is mentioned but once in 
the whole courfe of that equally vail and true 
hiilory. From what I have faid, Sancho, thou 
art to draw this inference, that there is a necef- 
iity for maintaining fome difiin^on between 
the mafter and his man, the gentleman and his 
iervant, and the knight and his fquire ; where- 
fore, from this day forward, wc arc to be 
treated with more refpe¿l and lefs provocation ; 
lor if ever I am inccnfed by you again, in any 
jhapc whatever, the pitcher will pay for all : 
the favours and benefits I have promifed will 
come in due time, and if they ihould fail,, 
your wages at leaft will be forthcoming, as I 
have already informed you»" 

" All that your worfliip obferves is very juft, 
jaid Sancho ; but I fliould be glad to know, 
iince if the benefits come npt in time, I muft 
be fain to put up with the wages, what was 
the hire of a knight-crrant's fquire in thofe 
^ys; and whether they agreed by the month 


DOM Q^ÜIXOTE¿ 259 

tt the day like common labourers ?" " I do 
not believe, anfwered Don Qiiixote, that they 
were retained for hire, but depended altoge- 
ther on fiivour ; and tho' I have bequeathed a 
fum to thee in my will, which I have left figned 
atxd fealed at home, it was done in cafe of the 
worft; for one does not kuQW how chivalry 
may fucceed in thefe calamitous times : and I 
would not have . my foul puniihed in the other 
world for fo. Imalla matter; for let me tell 
thee, Sancho, in this there is not a more dan« 
gerous courfe than that of adventures*" '^ That 
I know to be tnic^ anfwered the fquire,. fince 
the aoife of a fulling-mill could . daunt . and 
difturb the heart of fuch. a valiant knight-er* 
rant as your worihip : but this I aiiure you of, 
that from this good hour my lips.&all never 
give umbrage to your worfixip in turning your 
afiairs to jeft again ; but, on the cbntrary, ho- 
nour you as my namral lord and mañer." ^' In 
Í0 doing, replied Don Quixote, thou ihalt live 
long upon the face of the earth; for, after 
your father and mother, you ought to refpe£t 
yjour mafier as another parent*^' 


•"• • 




i^ 




!■ • • 


26o DON Qja I X O T E. 


CHAP. vn. 

0/ tbifublimi adüiñture atid/hining acqutjstim vfMam^ 
briiufs bebnet'y with tíber accidents that bafpemd t9 
our invincible knigbt. 

About this time fome rain beginning to 
&I1, Sancho propofed that they íhould íhelter 
themfelves in the fulling-mill ; but Don Quix- 
ote had conceived fuch abhorrence for it on 
account of what was pail, that he would hj 
no means fet foot within its walls : whereforci 
turning to the right hand, they chanced to fall 
in with a road different from that in which 
they had travelled the day before : they had not 
gone far, when the knight difcovered a man 
riding with fomething on his head, that glitter- 
ed like poliihed gold : and fcarce had he defcri- 
ed this phsenomenon, when turning to Sancho, 
** I find, faid he, that every proverb is flrift- 
ly true; indeed all of them are apophthegms 
di£Uted by experience herfelf, the mother of 
all fcience; more efpecially that which fays, 
^ Shut one door and another Vill foon open :' 
this I mention, becaufe if laft night fortune 
ihut agaíníl us the door we fought to enter, by 
deceiving us with the fulling-hammers ; to-day 
another ftands wide open, in proffering to us 
another greater and more certain adventure. 


DON OJO I X O T S. 2JS1 

by which if I fail to enter, it ihall be my own 
fault, and not imputed to my ignorance of &I* 
ling-mills, or the darknefs of the night. This 
I take upon me to fay, becaufe if I am not egre- 
gioufly miftaken, the perfon who comes to- 
wards us» wears upon his head the very hel- 
met of Mambrino, about which I fwore the 
oath which thou mayeft remember." 

^' G>nfider well what your worihip fays, and 
better ftill what you do, faid Sancho ! I íhould 
not choofe to meet with more fiilling-mills to 
mill us and maul us altogether out of our 
fenfes." « The devil take the fellow, cried 
Don Qgixote, what affinity is there between a 
fulling-mill and a helmet ?" " Truly, I know 
not, anfwered the fquire ; but, in good faith» 
if I were^ permitted to fpeak freely, as ufual, 
I could perhaps give fuch reáfons as would 
convince your worihip, that you are miftaken 
in what you fay." " How can I be miftaken, 
fcrupulous traitor? replied Don Quixote : feeft 
thou not yonder knight who rides this way 
upon a dapple fteed with a 'golden helmet on 
his head." " What I perceive and difcem, 
laid Sancho, is no other than a man upon a 
grey a&, like my own, with fomething that 
glitters on his head ?" " And that is the very 
helmet of Mambrino, replied the knight: 
ftand afide, and leave me alope to deal with 
him; thou ftialt fee^ that without fpeaking a 


z6z D o N . q^u I X o T B. . 

fy liable^ in order to fpare tiiiie, this adventorc' 
will be concluded by my acquifition of the' 
helmet I have longed for fo much/** ** Yc«, I 
will take care to get out of tJie way, anfwered'. 
Sancho ; and God grant, cried he as he went 
off, that this may turn out a * melon rather 
than a milling." *' I have already warned thee, 
brother, faid the knight, not to mention, nor 
even fo much as think of the mill again : elfe, 
by heaven ! I'U fay no more, but mill the fdul 
out of thy body." 

Sancho was fain to hold his tongue, dread* 
ing the performance - of his mailer's oath, 
which had already ftruck him all of a heap. 
The whole affair of the helmet, fteed, 9Xid 
knight, which Don Qgixote faw, was no more 
than this : in that neighbourhood were two viU 
lages, one of them ib poor and fmall, that it 
had neither {hop nor barber : for which rea* 
fon, the trimmer of the larger that was hard 
by, ferved the leffer alfo, in which, at that 
time, there was a £ck perfon to be blooded, and 
another to be ihaved ; fo that this barber wa6^ 
going thither with his brafs bafon under his 
arm ; but as it chanced to rain while he was 
' on the road, that he might not fpoil his hat, 
which probably was a new one, he iheltered 

* Orégano^ i a the original, fignifies fweet roarjoram, as if Sancho 
had wilhed his mailer might find a nofegay, rather than a blood/ 

nofe. 


bom -.QjaixQTK %6$ 

• 

his head under the bafon, which being clean 
fcoured^ made a flaming appearance at the 
diftance of half a league ; and a& Sancho had 
obferved, he rode upon a grey af8> which gave 
occafion to Don Quixote to believe he was fome 
knight with a helmet of gold, mounted upon 
a dapple fteed; for he accommodated every 
thing he law^ with incredible facility, to the 
extravagant livings of his difordered judg* 
ment. When he, therefore, faw this unlucky 
knight approach, without the lean expoftula^ 
tion, he put Rosnante to* foil fpeed, and 
couching his lance in the reft, refolved to run 
him ^through the body at once ; but when he 
was almoft up wkh him,' without checking the 
impetuofity of his career, he cried aloud, 
^ Defend thy felf, wretched caitiff, or volunta- 
rily yield what fo juftly belong» to me." 

The poor barber, who neither dreaded nor 
dreamed of any fuch demand, feeing this phan« 
tom coming full fpeed upon him, could find 
no other means to defend himfelf from the 
ftroke of the lance, than to throw himfelf 
down over the buttocks of his afs ; then get* 
ting up, before he had fcarce touched the 
ground, with the nimblenefs of a ftag, he be- 
gan to fly acrofs the plain fo fwift, that the 
wind itfelf could not overtake him ; but he 
left his bafon upon the fpot, with which Don 
G^ixote was fatisfied, faying, '< The pagan 


/ 


264 ^OV Q^UIXOTE» 

hatH a¿léd with difcretíon/ in imitating the 
beaver, which feeing itfelf chafed by the hun- 
ters, tears off with its teeth, by natural in- 
ílin¿^ thofe parts for which it is purfued.!' 
Then he ordered Sancho to take up the hel* 
met^ which the fquire having examined all 
round, *' £^ad ! faid he, it is a fpecial good 
bafon, well worth a piece of eight, if it be 
worth a ¿trthing ;" and gave it to his mafter^ 
who putting it on his head, and timing it 
Tound and round, without being able to find 
the. vizor, faid, ^'Without doubt, the pagan 
for whom this renowned helmet was iirft forg* 
cd, muft. have had a moll capacious head : but 
the worft of it is, that one half is wanting." 

When Sancho heard him call the bafon a 
helmet,, he could not refrain from laughing^ 
but, remembering the indignation of his maf- 
ter, checked his nmth all of a fudden ; and 
when Don Qgixpte aiked what he laughed 
at, replied, " I can't help laughing when I 
think of the huge head of the - pagan who 
owned that helmet, which looks for all the 
world like a barber's bafon." " Why, truly, 
Sancho, faid he, I imagine that this very indir 
vidual enchanted helmet, by fome ilrange ac- 
cident or other, muft have fallen into the hands 
of fomebody who did not know its ineftimable 
value, but feeing it was made of the pureft gold, 
melted down one half of it for fale, and left 


PON Q^UIZOTS. ^65 

the other in this íhape, refembling, as thou 
I. fay eft, a barber's bafon : but be that as it may^ 
fince I am fatisfied of its real worth and iden- 
tity, the tranfmutation is of fmall confequence ; 
for I will order it to be repaired in the firft 
village where we can find a blackfmith, in 
fuch a manner as to be unexcelled, nay even 
unequalled, by that which Vulcan forged and 
finiihed for the God of war : mean while, I 
will wear it in this manner ; for it is ftill bet« 
ter than nothing at all, and will be fuíEcient 
to defend me from any ihower of ftones that 
may chance to fall." 

" Yes, if they come not out of flings, as 
was the cafe in the íkirmiíh between the two 
armies ; when they demoliflied your worfliip's 
grinders, and broke the cruife which contain- 
ed that bleíTed balfam, which made me vomit 
up my liver and lights/* " That lofs gives me 
not much uneafinefs, anfwered the knight, be- 
caufe thou knoweft, Sancho, I retain the re- 
<:eipt of it in my memory." " So do. I, re- 
plied the fquire. But, Lord, let me never ftir 
from the place where I now ftand, if ever I 
either (n&ke or meddle with it for the future ; 
efpecially, as I hope I ihall never have occafion 
for it again, being refolved, with the alliñance 
of my five fenfes, to avoid being hurt myfelf, 
and alfo to refrain from hurting any perfon 
whatfoever. As to another bout of blanket^ 


zS6 BOR qjaixott; 

tag, I have little to fay : . fuch misfortunes are 
not eafily prevented ; but when they happen, 
there is nothing elfe to be done, but to ihrug 
up our ihoulders, hold in our breath, Ihut our 
eyes, and leave ourfelves to the determination 
and chance of the blanket/' 

^' Thou art a bad chriftian, Sancho, faid 
Don Qjiizote, when he heard thefe words, for 
once you receive an injury, you never forget 
it; but know it is peculiar to noble and gener< 
ous minds to overlook, fuch trifles : haft thou 
got a leg lamed, a rib fra¿lured, or thy head 
broke in the profecution of that jeft, that thou 
canft not forget it ? for the afiair, when duly 
confidered, was no more than jeft and paftime : 
had I not underftood it fo, I ftiould have re« 
turned ere now, and done more mifchief in 
revenging thy quarrel, than the Grecians did, 
for the rape of Helen, who, - if ftie lived in 
this age, or if my Dulcinea had ftouriflied in 
her time, would not have been fo renowned for 
beauty." Here he fetched .a profound figh, 
and fent it to the clouds* ^^ Let it pafs then 
for a joke, faid Sancho, iince there is no like* 
lihood of its being revengpd in earneft : but I 
know what Ibrt of jokes and eamefts thofe 
are ; and I believe they will fcarce iQip out of 
my memory, while they remain engraven on 
my ftioulders. But, fetting this afide, I wilh 
your worihip would tell me what I ihall do 


'N 


DOK Q^ÜIXOTí; ¿67 

i 

With this dapple fteed fo like a grey als, whieh 
was abandoned by that caitiff whom your wor* 
flxip overthrew: for by the fwiftnefs of his 
heels when he ran away, he ieemed to have na 
thoughts of returning; and by my whiikera 
'tis an excellent beaft !" 

'^ It is neVer my cuilom, faid Don Qgixote, 
to plunder- thofe I overcome; neither is it ao»' 
cording to the laws of chivalry, to take from 
them their horfes, and leave them on foot, 
unlefs the conqueror hath loft his own during 
the engagement ; in which cafe we are allowed 
to take the hbrfe of the vanquiihed as the laww 
iul fpoils of war: wherefore, Sancho, leave 
that horfe or afs, or what thou wilt, where ho 
now ftands, and perhaps his mailer, perceiv- 
ing we are gone, will return and find him." 
'^God is my witnefs, anfwered Sancho, I 
fliould be glad to carry him o£^ or at leafi exw 
change him for my own, which feéms to be 
the worft of the two : truly the. laws of chi- 
valry are too confined ; and fince they do not 
extend to the exchange of one afs for another, 
' I would fain know if they allow me to change 
the furniture of the one for that of the other ?'* 
" I am not quite clear in that particular, re- 
plied the kiiight ; and in fuch a dubious cafe, 
till fuch time as we can get better information, 
I think thou mayeft exchange the fumiure, iif 
the ncceffity for fo doing be extreme." " It is 


268 DON QJ7IX0TI. 

fo extreme, faid Sancho, that if it were for 
my own particular wearing, I could not want 
it more." Thus provided with a licoice, he 
made the exchange of caparifons, and equipped 
his beaft with fuch finery, that he looked ten 
per cent, the better. 

This exploit being performed, they went to 
break£ift on the remains of what they had 
plundered from the fuinpter-mule, and quench- 
ed their thirft with the water from the fiilling<< 
mills, without turning their heads that way, 
fo much did they abhor them, on account of 
the dread which they had infpired. The rage 
of hunger and anxiety being thus appeafed, 
they mounted, and without following any de- 
termined courfe (for it is the pra¿lice of true 
knights*errant to keep no certain road), they 
left the choice of their route to the will and 
pleafure of Rozinante, which was always a 
rule to his mafter, as well as to the afs that 
followed, whitherfoever he led, like a trufty 
friend and companion. In confequence there- 
fore, of his determination, they returned into 
the high road, in which they travelled at ran* 
dom without any particular fcheme, 

While they thus jogged on, " Sir, (aid San* 
cho to his mafter, I wifh your woríhip would 
allow me to confer a little with you ; for fince 
you impofed that fevere command of filence 


DOM Q^ÜIXOTE. 26^ 

upon me, divers things have periflied in my 
ftomach ; and this moment I have fomewhat at 
my tongue's end, which I would not for the 
world have mifcarry." ** Speak then, faid Don 
Qg^bcote, and be concife in thy difcourfe ; for 
nothing that is prolix can relifli well." " I 
fay. Sir, anfwered Sancho, that for fome days 
pail I have been coniidering how litde is to be 
got and faved by going in queft of thofe ad- 
ventures your worihip hunts after, through 
thefe crofs-paths and defarts, where, tho' 
you conquer and atchieve the moil perilous ex- 
ploits, there is nobody prefent to be witnefs of 
your prowefs ; fo that it may remain in ever- 
lailing filence, contrary to the intention, and 
prejudicial to the merits, of your worihip : 
wherefore, in my opinion, with fubmiflion to 
your better judgment, our wifeft courfe would 
be to go into the fervice of fome emperor or 
great prince, who hath a war upon his hands, 
in whofe fervice your worihip may have oc- 
cafion to ihew your perfonal valour, your great 
llrength, and greater underftanding ; which be- 
ing perceived by the king we ferve, he cannot 
choofe but reward each of us according to his 
deferts; neither will there be wanting foma 
perfon to write the hiftory of your worihip's 
exploits, for a perpetual memorial : I ihall not 
mention my own, becaufe they cannot exceed 
the bounds of a fquire's province : tho' this I > 
will venture to fay, that if it wa? cuftomary 


2^0 eon QJJIXOTC 

in chivalry to recount the atchievements of 
our fraternity, I don't think but mine might 
be inferted between the lines of the book." 

'' Thou art not much in the wrong, replied 
Don Qgixote ; but before it comes to that iíüie, 
fi knight muft travel up and dovm the world 
as a probationer in queft of adventures, until 
by his repeated atchievements he ihall have 
acquired a fufficient flock of fame*; fo that 
when he arrives at the court of fome mighty 
monarch, he may be imniediately known by 
his works ; in that cafe, as foon as he ihall be 
feen to enter the gates of the city, all the boys 
will furround and follow him, ihouting and 
crying, behold the knight of the fun, or the 
ferpent, or of any other badge under which 
he hath performed his great exploits. ^ Be* 
bold, they will ia^r, the man who vanquiihed 
in ¿ngle combat the mighty giant Brocarbni- 
no, and delivered the great Mamaluke of Per- 
fia from the ilrange enchantment that prevail* 
ed over him for the fpace of nine hundred 
years/ Thus ihall they proceed^ recounting 
his exploits from mouth to mouthy until, fur- 
prifed at the noife of the children and popu* 
lace, the king of that country ihall appear at 
one of the palace windows; and no fooner 
behold the knight, than knowing him imme- 
diately by his armour, or the device upon his 
ihield, he will certainly exclaim^ *' So ho^ 


DON QJJ I X O T £: S,»Jt 

there ! let all the knights belonging to my 
court go forth and receive the flower of chi* 
valry that cornea yonder." 

At this command all of them will come out, 
and the king himfelf advance to meet him 
on the middle of the ftair-cafe, where he will 
embrace him mod affeélionatelyy giving him 
the kifs of friendihip and welcome ; then tak- 
ing him by the hand, will he condu£l him to 
the queen's clofet, where he will find her ma* 
jefty with the princefs her daughter, who is 
one of the moH beautiful and accompliihed 
young ladies that ever was feen in the known 
world. In this interview Ihe will immediately 
fix her eyes upon the knight, who at that in- 
fiant ihall be gazing at her, and each will ap- 
pear to the other fomething fiipematural: 
without knowing how or wherefore, they will 
find themfelves prefently caught and intangled 
in the inextricable net of love, and be infi- 
nitely concerned becaufe they have no op- 
portunity of converfing together, and of dif- 
clofing the reciprocal anxiety of their thoughts : 
after this audience, he will doubtlefs be car- 
Tied to fome apartment of the palace richly 
fiimiihed, where, after they ihall have taken 
júff his armour, they will clothe him in a rich 
•fcarlet robe brought for the purpofe ; and if 
he make a fine appearance in armour, he will 
look infinitely more genteel in his doublet : at 


Z^i DON Q^ÜIXOtH 

night he will fup at the fame table with the 
king, queen, and infanta, upon whom he will 
fix his eyes as often as he can, without being 
perceived by the by-ftanders ; while íhe will 
praélife the fame expedient with equal fagaci- 
ty; for, as I have already obfervcd, íhe muft 
be a young lady of vail difcretion. 

The table being uncovered, there will enter 
at midnight through the hall door, a little de- 
formed dwarf, followed by a beautiful lady, 
guarded by two giants ; and he will propofe-a 
certain adventure, contrived by a moil ancient 
fage, which, whofoever ihall finifli, will be 
deemed the moil valiant knight in the whole 
world : then the king will order every warrior 
in waiting to attempt it ; but all of them fliall 
fail except the llrangcr knight, who will per- 
form and accompliih it very much to his own 
credit, as well as to the fatisfadion of the 
princefs, who will think herfelf extremely 
happy, and well requited fi^r having placed 
her affeftions fo worthily. What is better 
ftill, this king or prince, or whatever he is, 
being at that time engaged in a moil obilinate 
war with a potentate of equal ñrength, his 
gueil, after having ilaid a few days at court, 
begs leave to go and ferve him in the field ; 
and the king granting his requeil with plea* 
fure, the knight moil politely kiiles hi$ hand 
for the great honour he hath done him : that 


DON Q^ÜIXOTl; 27s 

lame night he goes to take his leave of his 
mifirefs the infanta, through the rails of a gar- 
den adjoining to the chamber in which ihe 
lies; where they have already at different 
times enjoyed each other's converfation, by 
the means of a damfel, who being the infanta's 
confidante, is privy to the whole amour : on 
this occafion he will figh moil piteoufly, flie 
Will a¿bially faint away ; the damfel will run 
for water, and the knight will be extremely 
concerned, becaufe the day begins to breaks 
and he would not for the world be difcovered 
to the prejudice of the lady's reputation. In 
fine, the princefs recovers and reaches her fair 
hand through the rails to the knight, who 
kifles it a thoufand times, and bathes it with 
his tears : then is concerted between them 
fome method, by which he is to inform her 
of his good or bad fuccefs; and the infanta 
intreats him to return as foon as poflible : he 
fwears folemnly to con^ly with her requeft» 
kifies her hand again, and bids her farewell 
with fuch affli£tion as well nigh deprives him 
of life : from, thence he retreats to his cham- 
ber, throws himfelf upon the bed, but cannot 
ileep, fo grieved is he at parting ; he rifes early 
in the morning, goes to take leave of the 
king, queen, and infanta; their majeilies ac- 
cordingly bid him farewell, after having in« 
formed him that the princefs is indifpofed» 
and cannot fee company : the knight imputing 

Vol, L T 


^ly^ pon q^iiixoTft 

her difofder to hei fonrow for his departare, 
is pierced to the foul, and well uigh betrays hia 
own anxiety. The confidaate being prcfent 
all the while, takef notice of every circum- 
ftance, which Ihc imparts to her lady, who 
Hftens with tears in her eyes, and obferves that 
nothing gives fo much nneafiaefa as her igno^- 
rance of the knight's pedigree, and her impa* 
uenee to know whether or not he i» of royal 
cxtra^lion: the damfel aíTures her, that fo 
much politenefa, gentility, and valour as he 
poileffed, could never be united except in a 
dignified and royal difpofition; the af&ióted 
infanta confoks herfelf with this obfervation, 
and endeavouring to regain her ferenity, that 
fte may not give caoie of fufpicion to her 
parent^ in two days appears again in public. 

The knight having fet ont for the army, 
f ornes to battle, overcomes the king's adverfary, 
takes many iowns, makes divers conquefts, 
returns to court, vifits his miftrefs in the ufual 
manner, and the affair beii:^ concerted between 
them, demands her in marriage as the reward 
of his fervice : her father rcfofes to grant the 
boon, on pretence of not knowing who this 
hero is; but neverthclels, either by ftealth or 
fome other way, the infanta becomes his wife ; 
and at laft the king is overjoyed at his good 
fortune, when this knight proves to be the 
fon of a valiant monarch of fome unknown 


non QjJixoTfl; 275 

country, for I fuppoie it could not be found 
in the map. The father diea, the infanta fue- 
ceeds, and in two words the knight becomes 
king: this then Í8 the time to reward his 
fquire, and all thofe who helped him to af- 
cend the throne. The fquire accordingly is 
married to a damfel belonging to the infan- 
ta, who doubtlefs muft be ihe that was privy 
to her amour, and daughter of fome powerful 
duke.'* 

^' This is what I want, cried Sancho, and 
what with fair play I ihall obtain ; for all that 
you have mentioned will ezadly happen to 
your worfliip, under the title of the knight of 
the rueful countenance/* *' Kever doubt it^ 
Sancho, replied Don Qjiizote ; for in the fame 
manner, and by the fame fleps I have recount- 
ed, knights-errant rife, and have rifen to the 
rank of kings and emperors. Our only bufi- 
nefs now is to look out &r fome chriilian or 
pagan king who is at war, and hath a beautiful 
daughter, but there will be time to think of 
that, iince, as I have already told thee, renown 
muit be acquired elfewhere, before we repair 
to court : nay, another difficulty occurs, name- 
ly, that tho' we ihould find a king at war who 
has a beautiful daughter, after I ihall have ac- 
quired incredible glory thro' the whole uni- 
verfe; I do not know how it can be proved 
that I am of royal extra^on, or even fecond 


^^6 DON QJJ IXOTt^ 

coufin to an emperor ; and no king will grant 
his daughter to me in marriage, until he is firit 
thoroughly fatisfied in that particular ; though 
my famous exploits ihould merit a much more 
valuable reward: wherefore, on account of 
this defe¿l, I am afraid I Ihall lofe that which 
the prowefs of my arm may well deferve. 
True it is, I am a gendeman of an ancient 
and honourable £unily, not without property, 
pofieflion, and a title to the revenge of the 
five hundred * Sueldos; and it is not impof- 
fible, that the f;^e ordained to write my hifto- 
ry, may fürbiíh up my parentage and pedigree 
in fuch a manner, as to prove me defcended 
. in the fifteenth or fixteenth generation from a 
king: for I mufttell thee, Sancho, there are 
two foits of pedigree in the world ; one that 
brings and derives its original from princes 
and monarchs, which time hath defisiced by 
little and little, till at laft it ends in a point 
like a pyramid : the other owes its beginning 
to people of mean degree, and increafes gra- 
dually to nobility and power ; fo tliat the di£- 
ference is, the one was once fomething, but is 
now nothing ; and the other was once nothing, 
but is -now fomething! perhaps, therefore, I 
may be one of the firft mentioned divifion; 

* l*he Spaniards of old paid a tribute of 500 Sueldos, or pieces of 
ooin, to the Moors, oatil they were delivered from this impofitioa 
by the gallantry of the gentlemen or people of rank, from which ex- 
ploit a Caftilian of £unily ufed to exprefs the nobility and worth of 
his eztradUon, by laying he was of the revenge of the Sueldos. 


DON qjü I X o T & 0,^1 

tnd my origin^ upon enquiry^ be found high 
and mighty ; a circumftance that ought to fa* 
tisfy the king who is to be my father-in-law : 
and if it ihould not have that effe¿l^ the in* 
&nta will be fo enamoured of me, that, in fpite 
of her father, Ihe will receive me as her lord 
and huiband, even tho' ihe were certain of 
my being the fon of a porter ; but ihould ihe 
be ihy, then is the time to carry her away 
by force, to any comer of the earth I ihall 
choofe for my own refidence, until time or 
death ihall put an end to the refentment of 
her parents.'* 

** And here, cried Sancho, nothing can be 
more pat to the purpofe, than what fome of 
your unconfcionable fellows often fay. Who 
would beg a benifon, that for the taking may 
have * venifon? tho' it would ilill be more 
proper, if they had faid f. Better thieve than 
grieve. This I obferve, that in cafe the king, 
your worihip's father-in-law, ihould not pre- 
vail upon himfelf to give you the infanta his 
daughter, you may, as your worlhip fays, ileal 
and convey her off by main force : but the 
misformne is, that while the peace is on the 
anvil, and before you come to the peaceable 
enjoyment of your kingdom, the poor fquire 

* Literally, Never beg when you caii take. ^ 

-f* In Che original, A (hatch from behind a buQi, is better than Ch« 
prayer of goo4 men* 


S78 ^<^^ Q^UIXÓtÉ. 

fiiay chew his ctid in expééUtioü of his recoA- 
pence, unlefs that confidante damfel, who iá 
to be his fpoafe, ihoold ibake her efcápe with 
the princefs^ and be content to join her evil 
fortune to his, until fuch time as heaven (hall 
ordain it otherwife; for I believe his Rafter 
may very fafely give her aWay in lawful mar- 
riage." ^ That thou mayeft depend upon,** 
faid Don Qiiixote. ^^ Since it is fo then, an* 
fwered Sancho, we have nothing to do but re- 
commend ourfelves to God, and let fortune 
take its ovm courfe." *^ The Lord conduft it, 
replied the knight, according to my defires 
and my neceflity ; and fmall be his grace, who 
counts himfelf bafe/' " A God's name be it 
fo, faid Sancho, for my own part I am an old 
chriftian, and therefore fit to be a lord/* " Ay, 
to be greater than a lord, anfwered Don Qgix- 
ote, and even if thou wail not fo well quali^ 
ficd, it would be of no fignification *, becaufc 
I being king, can confer nobility upon thee, 
without putting thee to the expence of pur- 
chafing, or of fiibjefting thyfelf to any kind 
of fervitude : for in creating thee an earl, be- 
hold thou art a gentleman at once; and let 
people fay what they will, in good faith ! they 
muft call thee your lordihip, if it Ihould make 
their hearts ake." " And do you reckon that 

* This feems to hare been intamded as a ftroke 6f iatire againit 
ttioTe princes who fell nobility to the higheft bidder, wiAout any r^ 
gard to the merit of the purchafer. 


DOM Q^UIXQTft 279 

I ihould not know how to gire antbority to the 
portent?" faid the iquiic. " Patent thou 
wouldft fay, and not portent,'' replied the 
knight. ^' It may be fo, anfwered Sancho; 
but I infift upon it, that I ihould demean my* 
felf very decently : for once in my life-*time I 
was beadle of a corporation, and the gown 
became me fo well, that every body faid I had 
the prefence of a warden : then what fliall I 
be when I am cloathed in a ducal robe, all 
glittering with pearls like a foreign count? 
Upon my confcience I believe people will 
come an hundred leagues on purpofe to fee 
me/' ^^ You will make ^ very good appear* 
anee, faid Don Qgizote; but thou muiltake 
care to keep thy beard clofe ihaved ; for it is 
fo thick, matted, and unfeemly, that unlefs 
thou haft recourfe to the razor, every fecond 
day at leaft, they will fee what thou art a gun* 
(hot off." " What clfe have I to do, faid th« 
fquire, but to hire a barber, and keep him 
conftantly in the houfe ; and if I find occafion 
for it, even make him follow me as a mafter of 
the horXe follows one of your grandees/' 

^' How do'ft thou know, laid Don Qiiixote, 
that our grandees are attended by their maf- 
ters of horfe ?" " That you Ihall be fatisfied in, 
anfwered the fquire : heretofore I was a whole 
month at court, where I faw a very little gen- 
tleman, who they told me was a very great 


28o DON Qja I X o T 2. 

lord, paí&ng to and fro, and a man following 
him a horfeback, taming ever and anon as he 
turned, as if he had been the nobleman's own 
tail : when I aiked why the man did not over- 
take the other, but always kept behind him ; 
they anfwered that he was his matter of horfe^ 
and that it was a falhion among the great, for 
each to be attended by an officer of that name. 
Ever fince that time I have remembered their 
office To diftiniUy, that now I believe I Ihall 
never forget it." " I think thou art much in 
the right, faid Don Qgixote, in refolving to 
carry thy barber along with thee ; for cuftoms 
come not altogether, becaufe they were not in« 
vented all at once: therefore thou mayeft be 
the firil earl that ever went attended by a 
ihaver ; and truly it is an office of greater con* 
fidence to trim the beard than to faddle the 
horfe." ** Leave that afiFair of the barber to 
my management, faid Sancho, and be it your 
care to make yourfelf a king, and .me an earl 
with all convenient fpced.'' ** That (hall be 
done," replied the knight, who lifting up his 
eyes, perceived that which ih^ be recounted 
in the fucceeding chapter. 


DOK Q^ÜIXOTR zSl 


CHAP. VIIL 

Dm fixate fets at lihitiy a number ef unfortunate feo* 
pUj fvboy much again/i their wtlls^ were going ajour^ 
ney that was not at all to their liking* 

C ID Hamet Benengeli, the Arabian and Man* 
chegan author, recounts in this folemn, fub- 
lime, minute, pleafant and £mciful hiAory, 
that the converfation between the renowned 
Don Qgixote, and his fquire Sancho Panza, as 
related in the foregoing chapter, was no fooner 
concluded, than the knight lifting up his eyes, 
beheld upon the road before him, about twelve 
men on foot, ftrung together like beads, with 
a great iron chain faftened to their necks, and 
he perceived fliackles upon the arms of each* 
They were conduced by two men on horfe- 
back, and the like number on foot : the horfe- 
men armed with firelocks, and the foot with 
javelins and fwords. Sancho feeing them ad- 
vance, *^ That^ faid he, is the chain of ílaves 
compelled by the king to work in the gallies.'* 
♦' How! compelled! cried the knight, is it 
poffible the king compels people into his fer« 
vice?" " I don't fay fo, anfwered Sancho; 
thofe people are condemned for their crimes, 
to ferve in the king's gallies on compulfion/* 
^ In ihort; repUed Don Qgizote^ be that as it 


Q,BZ DON q^UIXOTX. 

will, they go not voluntarily, but are driven 
by force." " Certainly/' faid Sancho. ** Since 
that is the cafe, refumed his mafter, here the 
execution of my office is concerned ; to annul 
force, and bring fuccour to the miferable." 
^^ Pray, good your worihip, take notice, that 
juftice, which is the king himfelf, never ufes 
violence nor feverity to fuch people^ except a$ 
a puniihment for their crimes/' 

By this time the chain of galley «flaves being 
come up, Don Qgixote, with much courtefy, de* 
fired the guards would be pleafed to inform him 
of the caule or caufes for which thofe people 
were treated in that manner : one of the horfe* 
men replied, that they were llaves belonging 
to his majefty going to the gallies^ and that 
was all he could fay, or the inquirer had oc« 
cafion to know of the matter. '^ Nevfcrthelefs^ 
refumed the knight, I am defirous of knowing 
from each in particular, the pccafion of his 
misfortune." To thefe he added other fuch 
courteous intreaties to induce theih to Iktisfy 
his defire, that the other man on horfeback 
&id, ^^ Though we have got along vdth us the 
regifter and certificate of the fentence of each 
of thofe malefa&ors, we have no time at pre- 
lent to take it out and give you the reading of 
it : but if you have a mind to go and queftion 
themfelves, they will anfwer every thing you 
gik to the beft of their knowledge ; for they 


DON Q^ÜIXOTB. «83 

are a fet of mifcreants who delight in recount 
ii^ ai well as in a£ling their roguery."' 

With this permiffion, which he would have 
taken if they had not granted it, Don Quixote 
approached the chain, and aiked of the fore-» 
moil, for what offence he travelled in that 
equipage ? " Only for being in love/* anfwer^ 
cd the criminal. " For that only ! replied the 
knight. If they condemn people for being 
in love, I might have been tugging in the gaU 
lies long ago." " But my love, anfwered the 
Have, was quite different from what your wor- 
Ihip imagines; I fell deeply in love with a 
baiket crammed full of white linen, and lock- 
ed it fo fail in my embrace, that if juilice had 
not torn it from my arms by force, I ihould 
not have quitted it willingly to this good hour t 
the thing being flagrant, there was no room 
for putting me to the torture, and therefore the 
caufe was foon difcufled : my Ihoulders were 
accommodated with a cool hundred, I was ad- 
vifed to divert myfelf three years in the Gura- 
pas ; and fo the bufinefs ended." '' Pray what 
are the Gutapas ?" faid Don Qgizote. '^ The 
Gurapas are the gallies," anfwered the thie^ 
who was a young fellow, about twenty year$ 
of age, and faid be was a native of Piedrahitat 

The knight put the fame quellion to the fe-^ 
^ond^ who feemed fo overwhelmed with grief 


tB4 J>OH QJ7IX0TB* 

and melancholy, that he could not anfwer one 
word ; but the firft ikved him the trouble by 
faying, ^ This man, fir, goes to the gallies for 
being a canaiy bird : I mean for his ikill in 
vocal mufic/' '^ What ! faid the knight, are 
people fentenced to the gallies for their Ikill 
in mufic ?" ** Yes, fir, anfwered the other, 
for nothing is worfe than to fing in the heart* 
ach." ** On the contrary, faid Don Qjiixote, 
I have always heard it obferved, that mufic and 
play will fright forrow away/' " But here, 
replied the flave, the cafe is quite different: 
for he that fings but once will have caufe to 
weep for ever," Don Quixote faying he could 
not comprehend his meaning, one of the guards 
explained it : ** Sir, faid he, to fing in the 
heart-ach, is a term ufed by thefe mifcreants 
to exprefs a criminal who confefles under the 
torture : and it hath been applied to that de- 
linquent : he owned his crime, which was 
horfe-ftealing ; accordingly, having received 
two hundred laihes, he was condemned for fix 
years to the gallies : and he appears always 
penfive and fad, becaufe his brother rogues, 
who keep him company, continually maltreat, 
upbraid, defpife and feoff at him, for having 
confeffed out of pure pufiUanimity : for, fay 
they, No contains as many letters as Ay : an 
offender is very lucky when his life or death 
depends upon his own tongue, and not upon 
the evidence of witneiTes : and truly I think 
they are not far miftaken»" 


^ I am of the fame opinion, faid Don Qgix« 
ote, and palling on, repeated his former quef- 
tion to the third, who, with great readinefs and 
alacrity, anfwered, " I am going to pay a vifit 
of five years to lady Gurapa, for having want- 
ed ten ducats." ** I will give twenty with all 
ray foul, replied the knight, to eafe you of 
your misfortime.** " That, refumed the flave, 
is like giving money to a man periíhing with 
hunger at fea, where there is no food to be 
bought I fay this, becaufe had I been mafter 
in time of thofe twenty ducats your worfliip 
now offers, I would have anointed the Secre- 
tary's pen, and quickened my lawyer's inven- 
tion with them, to fo good purpofe, that I ihould 
be now {landing at liberty in the fquare of 
Zocodover in Toledo, and not dragging like a 
hound to the gallies ; but heaven is above^-* 
Patience an d t hat is enough.'* 

Don Quixote then advanced to the fourth, 
. who was a man of venerable afpe¿l, with a 
long, white beard hanging down to his girdle; 
and he no fooner heard the knight aik the 
caufe of his being in that fituation, than he 
began to weep bitterly, without anfwering one 
word; but the fifth criminal lent him his 
tongue, faying, " That honourable gentleman 
is going to the gallies for four years, after hav« 
ing made his public appearance on horfeback 
with great folemnity." " That is, I fuppofe, 


Uxd Sancho, after having been expofed to pub* 
lie ihamc*." " Even fo, replied the Have, and 
that puniihment was inflided upon him for 
being an ear-broker, or rather a broker for the 
whole body : to be plain with you, the gentle* 
man was conviSed of pimping, and giving 
himfelf out for a conjurer/' " Were it not 
&r the addition of his conjuring fcheme, faid 
Pon Quizóte, he is io far from deferving to 
row in the gallies for pure pimping, that It 
rather emides him to the f command of them» 
M general in chief : for if the office of a pandar 
was well regulated, it would be a moil honour- 
able and neceíTary employment in a well-or- 
dered commonwealth, referved for people of 
birth and talents, and like the other places of 
truft, laid under the infpe¿^ion of proper comp- 
trollers^ and limited to a certain number, like 
the brokers of merchandize : fiich a r^ulatioa 
would prevent many mifchiefs, which are now 
occañoned by that employment's being in the 
hands of ideots or fimpl^ wretches, 'foch as 
filly women, pages and buffoons, without either 
age or experience ; who, upon the moft urgent 
occafions, when there is need of the moft im- 
portant contrivance, let the morfel freeze be- 
tween the diih and the mouth, and can fcaree 

* A crime that is puniíhed by the pillory in England, is in Spain 
expiated by the convidas being mounted upon an ais, in a particular 
4re^ and led through the ftreets by a crier, wbo prodaiias the traoi* 
greffion. 

f This is a good hint for a refonning legiflature. 


D o tf <LU I X O T S» 287 

diftinguiih betwixt their right hands and their 
left. I eould proceed and advance many argu- 
ments to prove how advantageous it would be 
in a commonwealth, to make proper diftinc- 
tions in the choice of thofe who exercife fuch 
a neceflary employment ; but this is no place 
to fettle that affair in; and one day I may 
chance to recommend it to the confideration 
of thofe who can both difcern and provide a 
fiiitable remedy for this defeél. I ihall only at 
prefent obferve, that the compaffion I feel at 
the fight of thefe grey hairs, and that venera- 
able countenance in diftrefs for having been a 
pandar, is extinguiflied by the additional crime 
of foicery ; though I am well apprized there 
are no conjurers in the world, who can force 
or alter the will, as fome weak-minded people 
imagine : for the inclination is free, and not 
to be enllaved by any incantation whatfoever. 
The pra£lice of lome fimple women, and knav* 
iih impofiors, is to compofe poifonous mix- 
tures, to deprive people of their fenfes, under 
pretence of catifing them to be beloved : It be- 
ing a thing impoilible, as I have faid, to com- 
pel the will." " What your honour fays is 
very true, replied this good old man ; and real- 
ly, fir, as to the affair of conjuring, I am not 
guilty : though I cannot deny that I have been 
a pimp ; but I never thought I was to blame 
in that capacity, becaufe my whole intention 
was, that all the world ihould enjoy themfelves. 


288 DON Q^u I X o T b; 

and live in peace and quiet without quarrels 
and anxiety. Yet^ the uprightnefs of my in* 
tention was of no fervice in preventing my 
being fent to a place from which I íhall never 
return, oppreiTed as I am with years and a 
violent ftrangury, that will not allow me a mo- 
ment's reft." So faying, he began to weep 
again, as before ; and his tears raifed the pity 
of Sancho to fuch a degree, that he took a rial 
out of his bofom and gave it in charity to the 
diftreifed fenior. 

Then Don Quixote addreíTed himfelf to the 
next, who anfwered his queftion, not with lefs, 
but infinitely more vivacity than that of the 
former : faying, ** I trudge in this manner, &r 
having jefted a little extravagantly with two of 
my female coufins ; and with two more, who, 
though not related to me, were in the fame de« 
gree of blood to each other : in ihort, I jefted 
with them fo long, that in the end there was 
fuch an intricate increafe of kindred as no 
cafuift could unravel. Every thing was proved 
againft me^ I had neither intereft nor money, 
and ran ibme riik of having my windpipe 
ftopt ; but they only condemned me for fix 
years to the gallies : I fubmitted to the fen- 
tence, as the puniihment of my crime : youth 
is on my fide, life may be long, and time 
brings every thing to bear : if your worftiip, 
fir knight^ will part with any fmall matter for 


DDK Q^U 1 9C O T & zS^ 

the comfort of poor wretches like us, God will 
requite you in heaven, and we upon earth will 
t^ke care to petition him for long life and 
health to your worihip, that you may be as 
liappy, as by your goodly appearance you de- 
ferve to be.'* The perfon who fpoke in thia 
manner, appeared in the drefs of a ftudent, 
and one of the guards faid he was a great ora- 
tor and excellent latin fcholan 

After all thefe, came a man of a good mien, 
about thirty years of age, who fquinted fo hor- 
ribly, that his eyes itemed to look at each 
other : he was equipped in a very different 
manner from the reft ; his foot being loaded 
with a huge chain that went . round his whole 
body, and his neck adorned with two iron 
rings, to one of which the chain was faftened ; 
and the other was called a keep-friend, or 
friend's-foot ; from which defcended to . his 
middle, a couple of iron bolts fitted with a 
pair of manacles for his arms, fecured by a 
large padlock, in fuch a fafliion, as to hinder 
him from lifting up his hands to his mouth» 
and to difable him from bendidg. his head 
to his hands. Don Qgixote inquiring, why 
that man was more fettered than all the reft ? 
one of the guards anfwered, ^' Becaufe he is 
a greater r<^e than all the reft put together, 
and fo daring a villain, that althoi^h he is 
ftiackled in that manner, we are under fomc 

Vol. I. U 


í^ D e N ^U I X O T & 

apprebeofioo that he will gi?e us the mp.** 
^^Wbat crioie has he coeunittcd, iaid thcr 
knight, that deíerves no greater puniflunent 
than that of going to the gallics ?" '' He goca 
for ten years, iqplied the guard, which is a 
kind of civil death : but you need not enquire 
any fimhcr, when you know that this boneft 
gentleman is the ^mous Gines de PajQamontpy 
alias Gine&llo de ParapUla.'' '' Softly, Mr. 
Commiflkry, iaid the flave, hearing thefe words, 
don't tranfinography names and fiiraames in 
that manner : Gincs is my name, and not Gi- 
nefillo, and IWiamoiifte the title of my ¿mily : 
not Parapilla, as your wofflup lays : let erery 
body mrn about and look at home, and be will 
bate bujfiacls enough»*' '^ Speak with leas in- 
folence, Mr. Thief abcwe fterling; replied the 
eommiflary, or elle I ibali make yoa hold your 
peace. with a vengeaiure." ^ It a{^)ears by thi» 
opprcflion, anfwered the galley-ilaTe, that God's 
will mnft be done; but, one day, fome body 
ihall know whether or not my name is Gine- 
filb de Parapilla." '*^ An't you called ib, yon 
lying vagabosid }" iaid the guard. ^^Yes, ycs^ 
I am fo called, anfwered Gincs: but I will 
make tfaem change that name, or their Qúm» 
ihall pay for it^ if crer I meet them in a place 
I don't cbufe at prefent to name. Sir kaighc^ 
if you haw aiiy thing to beftow, pray let ua^ 
have it» and the Lord be with you^ for yoa^ 
only tire us with enquiring about other peo* 


DON Q^U I X t B. &p2 

pW$ affliirs ; if you Want to be informed of 
my hiftory, know, I am that Gines de Paflk- 
monte, whofe life is written by thefe ten 
fingers/' 

'^lU tells nothing but the tmth, faid the 
eommifiary; for he has a¿lmilly written hi& 
own hiftory, as well as could be defired, knd 
]»awned the manufcript in jail for two hundred 
rials." " Ay, and I Ihall redeem it, faid Oines, 
if it were for as many ducats.'* *' What ! i» 
it fo entertaining ?" faid Don G^iiixote. *' Yes, 
anfwered Gines, it is io entertaining, that woo 
be unto Lazarillo de Tormes, and all who have 
written or Ihall write in that manner. What I 
can affirm of mine is, that it contains truths, 
and fucli ingenuous and favoury tittths aá no 
fi¿tion can equal." *^ And what is the title of 
your book ?" faid the knight. « The life of 
Gines dc Paflamonte," replied the other. " Is 
it aniihed ?" faid Don Qgixote. *' How can it 
be finiihed, anfwered the author, when my na- 
tural life is not yet concluded ? I have already 
written my whole hiftory from my birth till 
the laft time I was fent to the gallics." ** You 
have vifited them before now then ?" faid the 
knight. ** For the fcrvice of God and the 
good of my cowitry, I have already ferved in 
them, during the fpace of four years, and know 
the difference between the bifcuit and the bulPs 
piezle, anfwered the thief; and my journey to 


£92 DON QJJ, IXOTlLé 

them now gives me no great pain, for thene t 
ihall have time to finifh my book» and fet dowa 
a great many things I have to fay : there being 
fpare time enough in the gallies of Spain for 
that purpofe, which does not require much lei- 
fwctf as I have every circumftance by heart." 
*< You feem to be an ingenious fellow," faid 
Don Qgixote. *^ And unfortunate, anfwered 
Gines; fos genius is always attended by evil 
fortune." '* Evil fortune oi:^ht to attend vil- 
lians^ like you/' . faid the guard. *^ I have al- 
ready defired you, Mr. CcHnmiflary, to pro» 
ceed fair and foftly, anfwered Paiiamonte; 
your fupeñors did not give you that rod to 
maltreat us poor wretches, but to conduA and 
carry us to the place of our deñination, ac-* 
cording to his majefty's command: and by 
the life of— but 'tis no matter. The fpots 
we received in the inn, may one day be rulv 
bed out in waihing. Mum's the word. Let us 
live while we can, fpeak while we may, and 
at prefent purfue our journey ; for this joke 
has already lafted top loug." 

The commiilary lifted up his rod, in onder 
to give a proper reply to the threats of Paila- 
monte; but Don Qjiixote interpofing^ begged 
he would not chaftife him ; becaufe it was not 
to be wondered at, if one whofe limbs were 
ÍQ (hackled, ihould take fuch liberties with his 
t9Dguc: then addreifing himfelf to the pri- 


DON <lUIXOtÍ. 295 

Tone», ** From all that you have told mQ 
dear brethren, faid he, I clearly perceive, that 
although you ought to be chaftifed for your 
crimes, the puniíhment you are going to fuffer 
is not much to your liking : on the contrary» 
you make this journey very much againft your 
inclination ; and perhaps, the pufillanimity of 
one of you under the torture, this man^s want 
of money, and that other's fcarcity of friends, 
and laft of all, the partiality of the judge» 
may have been the caufe of your perdition, in 
depriving you of that juftice your feveral cafet 
entitled you to. Which confideration now 
operates within me, fuggefting, perfuading, and 
even compelling me to fliew, in your behalf, 
the end and aim for which heaven fent me into 
this world, and made me profefs the order of 
knight-errantry, by which I am bound by 
oath, to fuccour the needy and opprefled ; but 
becaufe I know, that one maxim of prudence 
is, not to do that by foul means which can be 
accompliihed by fair, I befeech Mr. Commif- 
fary and the guards to unchain and let you 
depart in peace : the king will not want peo- 
ple to ferve him on better occaiions; and I 
think it is very hard to enllave thofe whom 
God and nature have made free. Beiides, gen- 
tlemen foldiers, added the knight, thofe poor 
people have committed no offence againft you ; 
«nd every body hath fin^ to anfwer for. There 
is a God in heaven» who will uke care to 


f^ pon a.UIXOT> 

cluiftiib th^ wicked aad reward the rigHtMUB t 
and it is not feemly, tbtt hcmeft men ihould 
be the executioners of their fellow^creamres» 
^01 aceeuut of matters with which thej have 
90 concern. This favour I «itreat in a mild 
and peaceable manner; and if you grant my 
Yequeft, will thank you heartily : whereas» if 
you refufe to do quietly what I de&re, this 
lance and fword, with the valour of my in* 
vincible arm, Ihall make you do it on com- 
puliion." 

. " A fine joke, truly ! replied the commif- 
fary : he has brought his harangue to a very 
merry conclufion ; defiring us to fet at liberty 
the king's prifoners» as if we had authority to 
grant) or he to demand, their difcharge. I 
wiih your worihip would go about your buii- 
nefs, and fet to rights that bafon on your ikull, 
without going in quell of a cat with diree feet." 
** You are a cat and a rat and a fcoundrel to 
boot," replied the knight, attacking him with 
fuch wonderful difpatch that he had not time 
to put himfelf in a poihire of defence, lb was 
thrown from his horfe, dangeroufly wounded 
by a thruft of the knight's lance. And it 
happened luckily that this was one of the two 
who had firelocks. The reft of the guard were 
at firft aftoniihed and confounded at this im- 
ezpe£led aflault; but they foon recoUe&ed 
themfelves^ and the horfemen dxawing their 


DON Q^U I Z O T B. Z^$ 

IWordB, vñalt tfaofe on foot bandied their ja* 
felina, fet upon Don Qgixote in their turn, 
trho waited for them whh voft compofiire ; and 
doubtlefs he would hare fiued ill» if the galley* 
flavea» feeing a fiiir occaficm oflfered of gaining 
dieir liberty, had mot made ihift to obtain it, 
by brealcing the chain with which they were 
entered. Such was the confiifion, that the 
guards, between their endeavours to detain the 
flaves who were unbound, and their effbrti 
againft Don Qjiizote, who afiauhsed them,, 
could do nothing at all efle^aU Sancho, for 
his part, ailifted in difengaging Gines de Paf* 
famonte, who being the firft that leaped free 
and difencumbered on the plain, attacked the 
wounded commiilary, and robbed him of his 
fword and muíket, wkh which, pointing at 
one, and taking aim at another, without firing, 
however, in a trice there was not one of the 
guards to be feen ; for they made the belt of 
their way, not only from Paifamonte's firelock, 
but alfo from the ihower of ftones which was 
rained upon them by the reft of the flaves, 
who had by this time difengaged themfelves* 

Sancho was infinitely grieved at this event, 
reprefenting to himfelf, that thofe who fied 
would inftantly give notice of the affair to the 
holy brotherhood, which, upon the tolling of 
a bell, would immediately fally forth in fearch 
of the delinquents. This fuppofition he fug- 


296 DOM QJÜ I X O T £. 

gefted to his mafter, whom he intreated to de- 
part forthwith, and conceal himfelf fcmiewhere 
in the neighbouring moantain. '^That nuy 
be a very good expedient, laid the knight ; 
but I know what is proper for me to do at 
prefent." He then called to the flaves, whp 
were all in confufion, and after they had plun- 
dered and ftripped the commifiary to the ikin, 
they aflbmbled round him in a circle in order 
to receive his commands, and he accofted them 
in this maimer : "It is the duty of honeft 
men to be thankful for benefits received : and 
one of the fms that give the greateft offence 
to God, is ingratitude. This truth I obferve, 
gentlemen, becaufe you muft be fenfible, by 
manifeft experience, of that which you have 
received from me ; as an acknowledgment for 
which, it is my will and pleafure, that you fct 
out immediately, loaded with that chain from 
which I have delivered your neck, and repair* 
ing to the city of Tobofo, there prefent yourr 
felves before the lady Dulcinea del Tobofo, 
and tell her that her Knight of the Rueful 
Countenance hath fent you to her, with his 
hearty commendations. You ihall alfo punc- 
tually recount to her every circumftance of 
this famous adventure, even to the granting 
you that liberty you fo ardently wiihed for ; 
and this duty being performed, you may go 
a God's name whitherfoever you lift/' 


DOM Q^ü I X OT I. 297 

' To this command Gines de Paflamonte, in 
the name of all the reft, anfwered, <^ What 
your worihip commands, moft worthy deliver- 
er, is of all impoffibilities the moft impofiible to 
fulfil. For we muft by no means travel in a 
body^ but fingle and divided, and each by 
himfelf endeavour to abfcond within the bow- 
els of the earth, in order to avoid the holy 
brotherhood, which will doubdefs come out 
in fearch of us. But your worihip may, and 
it is but juftice you ihould, change that fer- 
vice and tribute intended for my lady Dulci- 
nea del Tobofo, into a certain number of Ave- 
marias and Credos, which we will lay for 
your profperity ; and this is a duty we can 
folfil by night as well as by day, in motion^ 
and at reft, and in peace as well as in war : 
but to fuppofe that we will now return to the 
iklh-pots of £gypt, I mean to the carriage of 
our chain, and take the road to Tobofo, is to 
fuppofe that it is now midnight, though it 
wants little more than two hours of noon: 
and indeed, to ezpe£l this condefcenfion of 
us, is like expe£ting pears from an elm," 


*^ Then by heavens ! faid Don Qgixote in a 
rage, Pon Son of a whore, Don Gineiillo de 
Parapilla, or whatfoever is thy name, you fti^ll 
go alone, with your tail between your legs, 
and carry the whole chain upon your own 
Ciioulders." PaiTamonte, who was none of thQ 


2^8 DDK Q^U I X O T X. 

moft paffive people in tlie world, having alxea- 
dj fmoaked the knight's weak fide, from d^ie 
mad' a¿iion he had committed in giving them 
their liberty, and finding himfelf treated by 
him in this haughty manner, tipped the wink 
to his companions^ who retiring with him, at a 
little difiance, began to fliower forth a number 
of ñones upon their deliverer, that he could 
not contrive how to cover himielf with his 
ihield : and poor Rozinante minded the fpur 
no more, than if he had been made of brafs. 
Sancho retired behind hia afs^ which fhelter^ 
ed him from the ftorm of hail that defcended 
on them both : but his mailer could not fcreen 
himfelf fo well, as to avoid an infinite number 
of pebble fliot, which took place upon differ- 
ent parts of his body, fome of them with fuch 
force, that he came tumbling to the ground ; 
and no fooner was he fallen, than the ftudent 
let upon him, and fnatching the bafon frcmi 
his head, made a moft furious application of 
it to the knight's ihoulders, and then daihed 
it upon the ground with fuch force, that it 
went into a thoufand pieces. They likewife 
ftripped him of a * jacket he wore above his 
armour, and would even have taken his hofe, 
had not his greaves been in the way: they 

* It was the cuihxn of knights to wear a coat of arms made of 
fiome rich ftuif figured in a particular manner. The duke of Brabant 
being caUed in a hurry to the batde of Aginoourt, took a trump^^* 
banner, and making a hole through the middle, put it oyer his hcM» 
«nd wore it as his coat of amis. 


plundered Sancho of his great coat, leaving 
him in his doublet and hofe, and dividing the 
fpoils of the battle aaiong them, each took his 
own feparate route, more anxious to efcape 
the holy brotherhood which they dreaded, 
than to loAd themfelves with the chain again, 
and go to prefent themfelves before the lady 
Dulcinea del Tobofo, 

Th« afs tíid Rozinantej Sancho and Don 
(lp^ikote> were the only perfons remaining on 
the field* Dapple with his head hinging down 
}ik a peniive attitude, and every now and then 
ihaking his ears, as if he imagined the hurri» 
cane of fiones thn whizzed about them was 
not yet over ; Rozinante lying ftretcbed upon 
the ground, to which, like his mailer, he was 
humbled by a pebble : Sancho in his doublet 
terrified at the thoughts of the holy brother** 
hood ; and Don Qgixote exceflively out of hu« 
tnour, at feeing himfelf fo ill requited by 
thofe people whom he luid fervod in fuch an 
f iletitial manner. 






» . ^ 


30O DOM ^U I X O T C 


CHAP. IX. 

Of what hifil the renowned Dm ^ixete in the br$UM 
nmuntain ; being em rf the moft furprijmg adwntuns 
recounted in this true hijiery* 

Don Qgixote finding himfclf fo evil entreat- 
cd, faid to his fquire, ^* I have always heard it 
obferved, Sancho» that benefits confisrred on 
bafe-minded people are like drops of water 
thrown into the fea. Had I taken thy advioe, 
I might have avoided this vexation : bitt now 
the afiair is over, we muft have recourfe to 
patience, and take warning for the future." 
** Yes, replied Sancho, your worlhip will take 
warning as fure as I am a Turk; but, fince 
you allow, that if you had taken my advice, 
you would have avoided this misfortune, take 
my advice now, and you avoid a greater (HU ! 
for I give you notice, that all your errantry 
will (land you in little ftead againft the holy 
brotherhood, who don't value all the knights- 
errant in the univerfe three-farthings : and, in 
£iith this minute, methinks I hear their ar- 
rows buzzing about my ears." '^ Thou art na- 
turally a coward, Sancho, faid the knight; 
but that thou mayeft have no reafon to (ay I 
am obfiinate, and never follow thy counfel, 
ÍQT once thou ihalt prevail ; I will retreatirom 


DON Q^ÜIXOTR 301 

the danger thou dreadeft fo much ; but it ihall 
be on condition, that thou (halt never, either 
in life or death, hint to any per fon whatfo- 
ever, that I retired, and avoided this peril thro' 
fear, but merely in compliance with thy ear- 
neft requeft : for to fay otherwife would be to 
propagate falfehood: and from this hour to 
that, and from that hour 10 this, I give thee 
the lie, and afiBrm thou lieft, and wilt lie as 
often as thou ihalt fay or think any fuch thing : 
make no .feply therefore; the. very thoi^ht 
of my being fuppofed to abfcond, or retiieat 
¿com danger, efpecially from this, as it implies 
fome fort of ihadow of fear, infpires me with 
fuch courage, that here ám I, alone, ready to 
remain and expeft not only the holy, broths- 
hood, which thou haft mentioned with fear 
and trembling, but alfo the brothers of the 
twelve tribes of Ifrael, thofe of the fcvcn Mac- 
cabees, with Caftor and Pollux, and all the 
brethren and brotherhoods in the imiverfe." 
" Sir, replied Sancho, to retreat is not to fly» 
nor is it prudent to tarry when the danger over- 
balances the hope ; and it is always the prac-» 
tice of wife people to referve fomething for to- 
morrow, without venturing all upon one caft ; 
and you muft know, that tho' I be a ruftic and 
a clown, I have all my life-time had a fmall 
Ihare of what is called good condud : where- 
fore you need not repent of having taken my 
advice, but mount Rozinante, if you can ; if 


302 9 o ir OJO I X o T X. 

Boty I will lend you my affifUnce, and iailout 
me; for tkis noddle of imne tells me, that at 
prciibnt yn bare laoic need pf faeeli than of 
hands." 

■ 

Don Quixote aceordhi^y xnoanxedy withont 
febé leail fcply, and Sancho leading the way 
upon his zky Aey took itfijige in that part of 
the brown moumtain which was n<^reil, the 
ipñre hnending «o ^ qtme acroft to Vifo or 
Almociavar del Campo, alber they fliould hare 
hnrked fbr ibme daiyar amongft the rocks, that 
they might not be fimnd, in cafe the holy bitK 
therhood ifaould come in fearch of them : he 
was enoouiaged to thia'refohition, by feeing, 
that in the * fcuffle with the galley-fiateé, the 
piotifiona his afs carried had e&aped mitooch- 
ed; a cárcumftanee tha^ in his opinion, a* 
Hiounted to a miracle, confidering what the 
diieves had uken, and how narrowly they 
had fearched. 

That ef^ng they arrived in the rery heart 
o£ the Siemi Morenaf , where Sancho pnK 
pofed to fpend the night, and even to pais a 

* TYÚ» it a« •v«r%bt oí the attükor, who ^emt to have fbcpst 
tbat Sancho loft bis wallet ac the ian, arw) was robbed by the galley- 
Ih^esof the j^reat coat or cloak, in which he carried the remains of 
tbatprovi&on he haankea fronitfaoíe whosttteado^ itiedoadbodf 
towards Segovia. 

t A chain oi duOty mountains that divide Caftile from Aofla* 
USsu 


pan qjj i x o t & 305 

&w days» at leaft ftay a3 long as their ftore 
flioold laft: acoordingly they took up their 
lodging between two rocks in the midft of a 
great number of cork-trees : but &te, which» 
according to the opinion of thofe who do not 
enjoy the light of the true faith, guides, con- 
duels, and difpofes all things after its own 
way, ordained that Gines de Pailamoate, that 
£unous robber and cheat, who had been de« 
livered from the chain by the vakmr and mad*» 
nefs of Don Qgizote ; I fay, £ite ordained that 
he, impelled by the fear of the holy brother* 
hood, which he did not djnead without good 
reafoQ, happened likewife to take reftige in 
thofe mounuins; and even to be carried by 
this fear to the fiune place whither the (anúe 
principle had dire&ed Don Qgixote and San*^ 
eho Panza, juft time enough to know who they 
were, notwithftanding their being gone to 
fleep. As the wicked are always ungrate&l, 
and neeeffity puts them to their ihiits, and the 
prefent convenience overcomes the profpeA 
of futore quiet; Gines, yAio was neither grate*^ 
fill nor good-natuied, refelTcd to (leal Sancho'a 
a(s, undervaluing Rozinante, as a fabjeft that 
he could neither pawn nor fell ; accordingly, 
while the fquire was afleep, he ftole Dapple, 
and before morning was gone far enough to 
elude all purfmt. 

The appearance of' Aurora that rejoices the 
earth, had a quite contrary eifed upon Sancho 


304 ÜOm Q.UIXOTB: 

Panza, who miflmg hia Dapple, and fearchiilg 
for him in vain, began to utter the moft woe-' 
ful lamentation that ever was heard : and Don 
G^izote, waked by the noife, heard him ex- 
claiming in this manner : *^ O Son of my bow- 
els [ bom in my houfe, the play-fellow of my 
children, the delight of my fpoufe, the envy 
of my neighbours, and comforter of my cares i 
in ihort, the half of my fufienance : for with 
fix and twenty maravedis which thou haft 
daily earned, did I defray one half of my fa- 
mily expence.'' Don Qjiixote hearing this 
complaint, and being informed of the caufe, 
confoled Sancho with all the arguments in his 
power, and begging him to have patience, 
promifed to give him a bill of exchange, on 
fight of which he íhould receive three aíTes 
out of five, which the knight had left at home. 
Sancho being comforted with this declaration, 
dried up his tears, moderated his fighs, and 
returned a thoufand thanks to Don Q(iixote for 
his generofityc As they fauntered among the 
rocks, the knight's heart was rejoiced to fee 
places fo well adapted to thofe adventures he 
was in queft of ; for they recalled to his re- 
membrance thofe wonderful events which had 
happened to knights-errant among fuch rocks 
and folimdes : he went on mufing on thefe 
fubjeds, and indeed fo wrapt up and engrofled 
by them, that he minded nothing elfe : while 
Sancho's only care, now that he thought he 


0ON Q^UIXOTB. 305 

travelled in fafety, was to fatlsfy hii appetite 
with what remained of the fpoils of the clergf r 
he therefore jogged on leifurely after his maf- 
ter^, fitting fide^ways on his afs, and reple» 
niihing his own bags out of that which con^ 
tained the proviiion ; and while he was thua 
employed, would not have given a farthing for 
the beft adventure that could happen. 

Chancing, however, to lift up his eyes, h« 
perceived his matter had ftopt, and was en- 
deavouring, with the point of his lancé, to 
raife fome bundle that lay upon the ground i 
be therefore haftened up to him, in order to 
lend his affiftance, ihould it be found necef- 
fary, and arrived juft as the knight had turned 
up with his lance, a pillion with a portmanteau 
fixed to it, all rotted and confumed by the 
weather : but fo heavy that Sancho was obliged 
to alight, in order to take them up. His maf-^ 
ter having ordered him to examine the con-^ 
tents of the poi^manteau, he obeyed with great 
alacrity, and though it was íhut with a chain 
and padlock, there were To many holes in it^ 
that, he foon reached the infide, whejo he 
found four (hirts of fine holland, with other 
provifion of linen, equally faihionable and 
(clean, together with a pretty large heap of 

* Here Cervantes bath been caught napping b/ the criticks^ who 
obferVe, that Sancho could not be liiouateÜ on the a6> which wai 
bat juft now ftolea by Cines Paflámonte^ 

Vou L X 


306 I> o N Q^ü I X o T Bi 

crowns of gold» wrapt up in a ng; whicti be 
no fooiier perceived» than be cried in a raptore» 
*^ Blefied be Heaven for granting us one ad-* 
vantageooa adventure !" tben continuing bit 
learcb^ be found a pocket-book ricbly gar- 
miibed, wbich Don Qgixoie ' defired to bav^ 
bidding bim keep tbe money for bis own ufe. 
Sancbo killed bia band for tbe fovour, and 
taking tbe linen out of the portmanteau, cram- 
med it into die bag that beld their provifion. 

Tbe knight having confidered the whole af- 
for» '^ Sancho» üxd be» I am oí <^inion» and 
I cannot poí&bly be miftaken» that fome be- 
wildered traveUer» in bis^ pafiage over thefe 
mountains» has been fet upon by robbers» who 
having flain him» mod have diagged his body 
to be buried in> this- un£requented^ place."' 
^ That cannot be the cafe» anfwered tbr 
fi|aire; for if they had been robbery they 
would not have left the money behind them*'* 
^Thou art in tbe righ^ iaid DonG^otef 
and I cannot guels nor conceive what tbe 
matter can have been. Let us fee if there be 
any thing written in this pocket-book» by 
which we may trace out and come to the cer-^ 
tainty of what we want to know," He opened 
it accordingly» and the firft thing he found 
was the rough draught» though very legible» of 
a fonnet, which he read aloud for the bene- 
fit of Sancho» in thefe words : 


liOVÉ ekher crud It or blind} 

Or ftill unequal to tlie caufe» 
Is this dlft^mper of the mind, 

jLitftt tfttn infernal torture gnftwt* 

But laore't a god» and cnidlf 

In heavenly breads can never dwell t. 
Then faj by what authority^ 

I'ín dobihM to fed the pains of hell i 

Of dU my fulRiriogs a<id tnf wbé» 

Is Ohrk>e then the fatal fouree i 
Sure iM from good can never flow^ ^ . ...^ 

Nor fo much beauty gild a curie» ' ..'-^ ^'¡^ 

With hopdefs mifery weighed down» ^^^ J V*?^ 
m fedk for qnict in the grave t ^^S^ 

fbr when the malady'* unknawii» 
A ntrlide dome oaa frve* 

** From fuch rhifi^e» &id Sancho, thttt is no 
mfofmation to be got, unlefs hy that clue^ 
we could come to die bottom of the afEiir*** 
" What clue deft thotLmean?" faid the knights 
<' The chie your worihip mentioned juft now 
in the fonnet," anfwered the %iire. *^ I meD« 
tioued no clue, replied Don Qiiizote, but 
Chloe, which is without doubt the name of the 
lady of whom the author of thefe Ycrfes com« 

* As it isimpoffihto topraibrv» the originsl blunders of Sancho^ 
wtio miftakes Fill or PhiUis, for Hilo, that fifoifies a threadi wa 
are obUged to Ibbftittti anotiier, by ehanging PhiAis into Cbloe, 
which Sancho^ in SngUlht might have as naturally milbkca for « 
due; andby thisezpedieottheiboieof thejpafláfOis aochan^ ani 
^tvtiyUttkaltSrsd. 


3dS ^^^ Q^^uixoTi. 

plains : and really he muft hare been a very 
ingenious poet, or elfe I know very little of 
the art.'* " Then your worihip underftands 
crambo ?" faid the fquire. " Better than you 
imagine, anfwered the knight, as you will fee 
when you tarry from itie a letter to my mif- 
trefs Dulcinea del Tobofo, written in verfe 
from top to bottom : for thou muft know, San- 
cho, that all, or the greateft part of the knights- 
errant who lived in former ages, were very 
much addided to poef ry smd mufic ; thefe two 
qualities, or rather gifts of nature, being an- 
nexed to all errants in love : though the truth 
is, their couplets were rather fprightly than 
elegante' ** I wifli your worlhip would read 
on, faid Sancho ; perhap» you may find ibme-^ 
thing more to our fatisfadion." Accordingly 
the knight having turned over the leaf, " Here 
is profe, faid he, and feems to be a letter." 
Sancho aíking if it was upon bufinefs, hii 
mafter replied, *^ In the beginning there was 
nothing but love/' " Pray, Sir, cried Sancho, 
read it aloud ; for I am highly delighted vnth 
matters of love." " With all my heart,*' an-« 
fwered Don Qgbrote, who railing his voice, in 
compliance with the fquire's requeft, read what 
follows : 

" Thy falfe promifcs, together with the cer- 
tainty of my misfortune, have exiled me to a 
comer of the world, from whence thou wilt 


DON OJO I X O T 1. ^ 309 

hear an acoount of my death, before this my 
complaint ihall reach thine ears; Thou haft 
cafl; me off, ungrateful as thou art ! in favour 
of one, who, though he is a richer, is not 
a more delerving lover than me : for if vir- 
tue were the wealth that is moft efteemed, I 
ihould have no caufe to envy the happinefs of 
others, or to bewail my ownmiihap. What 
thy beauty had raifed, thy behaviour has 
overthrown: by the fírñ I miilook thee for 
an angel ; by the laft I difcovered thee to be 
a woman. Mayeft thou live in peace, fair 
authorefs of my misfortunes ; and heaven grant 
that the deceit of thy huiband may never be 
difclofed, that thou {nayeft never repent of 
what thou haft done, nor I enjoy the revenge I 
dp npt deiire/' 

Don Qgizote having read this letter, obferved 
that nothing elfe could be inferred either from 
ky or the verfes, but that the author was fome 
defpairing lover. Then perufing the reft of 
the book, he found more verfes and letters^ 
fome legible, and others not intelligible ; but 
the fubftance of them all was compofed of 
complaints, lamentations, fulpicions, deiires, 
difgufts, &vours, and difdain, fome of which 
were extolled and others deplored. While 
Don Qgixote examined the' book, Sancho rum-* 
maged the portmanteau, without leaving a cor-r 
Sier in that or the pillion, which he did not 


feareb, pry intq» aud overhaul : no feam waa 
U& unript, no lock of wool unpicked» that 
nodung mif ht he loft through negligence and 
want of care ; & much waa his cupidity avak« 
cned» by fiz^ding the money, which aomnted 
to more than a hundred crpwns : and though 
he reaped no other fruit &om his induftry» he 
thought himfelf alnnidantly leqaited for his 
capers in the Uanket, his Tomit of the balfam» 
the benedidioh of the pack-ftaves» the fifty-r 
cuils of the carrier, the kfs of his bags, the 
rc^bery of his great coat, with all the hunger, 
thirft, and £itigue he had undergone in the 
fervice of his worthy mafter, who had madq 
him more thap amende 1^ his gencrons pr&r 
^nt of this wind£|ll« 

The knight of the ruefvl countenance waa 
impatient to know the owner of the portman-i 
tean; conje^hiring by the fbnnet, the letter, 
the gold, and the fine linen, that he piuil be 
fome Ipver qf quality» whom the difdain and 
barbarity of bis millrels had driven to fomq 
defpera^e end^ but, as in that uninhabited and 
rocky place there waa nobody who could give 
him the information he wanted, he refolved to 
penetrate ftill farther into the mountain, withi 
out taking any other road than what Rocinante 
fliould chufe for his own cgnveniency, ftill 
cooident of meeting with fome ftrange adven«< 
tv« among thefe briars and bramble<t 


DOM QUIXOTE, ^if 

As be went on, entertaiaing himfelf witk 
fliefe refledi<Hi8y he perceived upon the tc^ of 
ft hill, right before him, a man (kipping from 
bufli to bulb, and rock to rock, with wonder- 
ful agility: his body feemed naked, hia beard 
Uack and bulhy, his hair long and matted, hia 
feet imibod, his legs bare, and his thighs cover* 
«d with breeches, which to all appearance were 
of crimfbn, but fo ragged, that his ikin appear* 
od through many difierent holes, while his head 
was without any fort of covering. , Notwith- 
ftanding the nimblenefs with which he pafled, 
all thefe minute circumftances were feen and 
remarked by the kniglu of the rueful counte« 
nance, who in vain attempted to follow him; 
thofe rough roads being quite unpaffable by the 
feeble Rozdnante, who was naturally phlegma* 
tic and tender-footed* However, Don Qgixote 
concluded that this muft be the owner of the 
pillion and portmanteau, and determined with* 
in himfelf to find him out, although he fhould 
travel a whole year through the momitains for 
that very purpofe. With this view he ordered 
Sancho to alight, and take a fliort cut over one 
part of the mountain, while he ihould go round 
the other ; and by this expedient they might 
ccmie up with the man who had io fuddenly 
vanilhed from thar fight. ** That propofal I 
can by no means comply with, anfwered the 
{quire; for if I ftir but an inch from your 
worfhip, fear inílantly lays hold on me, and 


3IS DON QJC7 I X O T E. 

* 

id&ults tne in a thoufand horrid Ihapes and 
vilions ; and let this ferve to apprife you, that 
henceforward I will not budge a finger'a 
breadth from your prefence." '^ Be it fo> laid 
he of the rueful cpuntei^ance ; and I am very 
glad that (hou caiifi avail thyfelf of my cou-; 
rage, which ihall i^ever fail thee, even if thy 
foul ihould fail (hy bpdy ; follow me therefore, 
Aep by ilep, or at thy pwn leifure : and ufe 
(hin^ eyes like two fpy-glaffes ; we will , take 
a compafs rpund this little mountaip» apd per<f 
hap§ we may meet again with that man, who 
is certainly 90 other than the owner of what 
we found." To this obfervation, Sancho re- 
plied, ^' Methinkn we m^y fave ourfelves that 
trouble ; for if, upon finding him, he ihould 
prove to be the owner of the money, I muft of 
Gourfe make reilitution ; therefore we had bet- 
ter fpare all this fruitlefs fearch, and keep it 
honajidcy until the true owner appear of him- 
felf, without all this ii^tricate inquiry: and 
before that happens, perhaps I ihall have fpent 
the whole, and theii I ihall be difcharged by 
law." ^' In that notiqn thou art miftaken, 
Sancho, refiipied the knight; for as we have 
already good grounds (o believe that he is the 
owner, it is our duty to find him out and re-i 
ftore what we have ukeu: and though w^ 
ihould not find him, the ilrong reafon we havq 
(o believe that it belongs to him will make us 
f ^Uy guilty in detaining it, as we lh9uld \^ 


DON <LÜIX0T1. 313 

if it really did. Wherefore, friend Sancho^ 
do not give tbyfelf any uneafinefs about the 
inquiry; becaufe if we find him, I ihall be 
freed from a great deal of anxiety." So fay- 
ing, he put fpur3 to Rozinante, and Sancho 
followed in his ufual manner. Having fur- 
Toimded part of the mountain, they found in 
a brook that watered the foot of it, a dead mule 
faddled and bridled, and half confumed by 
the dogs and crows: another circumftance 
which confirmed them in the opinion, that he 
who fled from them was mafier both of thp 
mule and portmanteaut 

While they were looking at this objed, they 
heard a fiiepherd's whiftle, and prefently on 
the left appeared a good number of goats, 
and behind them, on the top of the mountain, 
they defcried the goat-herd, who feemed to be 
a man in years. Don Qjiizote calling aloud^ 
intr^ated him to come down ; and he, in the 
fame tone, aiked what had brought them to 
that place, which was feldom trodden except 
by the feet of goats, wolves, and other wild 
beads that harbouired thereabouts? Sancho 
ba^de him come down, and they would tell 
him what had brought them thither; upon 
which the goat-herd defcended, and coming 
pp to Don Qgixote, " I'll wager, faid he, that 
you are looking at the hireling mule which 
|ic; dead in ^t bottom^ where in ^ood Í0Qr)\ 


314 ^^> <UJixoT% 

it hath lain fvH fix months. Pray, ha^e yoii 
met with its mafter ?" ** Wc have met with 
mothing» anfwered the knight, but a pillion 
and portmanteau, which we finnd not £ur from 
liencc.'* ** I have often feen the lame things» 
replied the goat-herd, but would never touch 
nor go near them, being afraid of fome mis- 
fortune ; or of being cpieilioned for theft ; for 
the devil is very cunning, and raiíes blocks 
under our feet, over which we ftumble, and 
very often fidl, without knowing how or where- 
fore." *^ That is the v^y thing I fay, anfwer- 
ed Sancho, tho' I faw them alfo, I would not 
go within a ftone's throw of them : there I 
kit them, and there they remain as they were ; 
for I don't chufe to fteal a dog with a collar 
about his neck *•" ^^ Prithee, honeft friend, 
(aid Pon €^zote, doft thou know who the 
owner of thefe things is V* ^^ All that I can 
lay of the matter, anfwered the goat-herd, is, 
that it may be about fix months, more or lefs» 
finoe there came to our hut, which is about 
three leagues from hence, a very genteel young 
man of a comely appearance, riding upon that 
very mule that now lies dead, with the lame 
pillion and portmanteau which you fay you 
found. He aiked what part of the mountain 
was the moft woody and conceakd, and we 

* Mothinks it is iaconfiftent with the chara¿ltr pf the knight, to 
altow Sancho to tell fuck a fraudaknt iintrqih ia hti heuiog » oor 
it Pama'tbehayioMr oa this occafioa mu^h £ac te booour o£ fail 
UmpUcit^. 


tcAé him, tkiak it was this very fpot where wo 
n&w are; and it is fo> for if you go half 9 
Itsigiie farther into the nountain, you will per<* 
haps fiod it a very difficult matter to return ; 
9iid I naiirvel much how you have got fo iar^ 
£>r there is neither high«road nor by^^path that 
}eads to this place» But, as I was faying, the 
young man hearing our reply» turned his mule» 
and rode towards the place tso which we had 
direded him» leaving us all very much pleafcd 
with his appearance, though not a little fur* 
prized at his qqeftioi^» and the fpecd with 
which we faw him ride back into the heart o| 
the mountain ; from that time we faw no more 
0f him, till a few days after, when he fprung 
upon one of our fli^pherds on the rosd, and 
without &ying why or wherefore, beat and 
bruifed him unmerci&Uy ; after which he went 
to the fumpter-afs, and qarryiug off all the 
bread and qhcefe that was ou his back, with 
forprifipg nimbleuefs, rail back again to the 
thicket. As foon as we underftood this^ par* 
ticular, feveral of us goat-herds went iu fe«rch 
of him, thro' the moit wild and unfrequented 
part of the mountain, for the fpace of two 
days, at the end of which we found him lying 
in the hollow of a large cork-tree. lie camq 
out to us in a very civil manner, with his 
eloaths all torn, and his face fo tanned and 
disfigured by the fim, that we ihould fcarce 

]uve knowQ hm^ had not his cloftths^ tattcrcc) a» 


3l6 DON HJJ I X o T X. 

they were, which we had before taken parti« 
cular notice oi^ ailbred us that he was the per^ 
ion we went in fearch of. He ialnted us very 
cottrteoufly, and in a &w words» tho' yery well 
chofen, bade us not wonder at feeing him iii 
that condition; for he was obliged in that 
manner to do penance, which had been in* 
joined him, on account of his manifold fins 
and tranfgreffions. We eameftly begged to 
know who he was, but that he never could be 
prevailed upon to tell : we defired him alfo, 
whenever he fliould have occafion for food» 
without which he could not live, to tell us 
where we ihould find him, and we would 
bring it to him with great care and aflkAion; 
or if that was not to his liking» we defired him 
to aik it civilly, without taking it by force, 
Jle thanked us kindly for our tenders of fer- 
vice, begged pardon for the ailaults he had 
committed, and promifed for the fixture to aik 
It for Qod's fake, withput giving offence to 
any perfon whatfoever. With regard to the 
place of his habiution, he faid, be hjid no 
Other than that which chance prefented every 
night when it grew dark ; and concluded his 
difcourfe with fuch piteous lamentation, that 
our hearts muft have been made of flint, if 
we could have heard it without ihedding tears, 
CPnfidering the woefiil change he had under-» 
gone fince we faw him at firft : for as I have 
iUc^dy obfervcd, he vfas a genteel, comely 


^otith, and by his courteous and polite dif- 
¿ourfc, flicwcd himfclf to be a perfon of good 
birth and excellent breeding : and though we 
who heard him were only home-bred country 
|)eople, the gentility of his carriage wad tafi- 
ly perceived by our clownifli ignorance. In 
the midft of this converfation that paíTéd be- 
tween him and us, he grew ¿lent all of a 
fudden, and nailed, as it were, his eyes to 
the ground, for a confiderablé fpace of time> 
during which we remained in iufpence' and no 
fmall concern, to fee the effcA of this ftupe- 
fadion ; for by his flaring at the ground for a 
good while, without moving his eye-lids, then 
Ihutting them clofe and biting his lips, and 
then drawing up the ikin of his forehead, we 
could eafily perceive that he was feized with 
fome fit of madnefs ; and he foon confirmed 
the truth of our opinion ; for he fprung up 
with furprizing force from the ground on 
which he had thrown himfelf, and attacked 
the perfon who was next to him with fuch rage 
and refolution, that if we had not taken him 
off, he would have beaten and bit him to 
death ; crying aloud all the time, *' Ha, trea- 
cherous Fernando ! Now Ihalt thou pay for the 
injury thou hail done me. Thefe hands ihall 
tear out thy heart, in which all kinds of wick- 
cdnefs, particularly fraud and deceit^ are har- 
boured and dwell !" To thefe he added other 
cxpreflions, tending to reproach that Fernando 


3id i>ON ajo i tort; 

wkh treachery and bafenefs. Wbcn we hstd 
got our friend out of liis clutches, with no 
ioiall trouble, he went off without fpeaking 
another word, and ran at full fpeed among 
thefe ihrubs and brambles, fo as that it was 
impofiible for us to follow him. From thefe 
things we conje&ured that his madnefs came 
upon him by fits,, and that fome peribn of the 
name of Fernando muil have done him fome 
deadly wrong» which hath driven him to dif-^ 
traélion. Indeed this conjeture has been lince 
confirmed by his different behaviour on diverfe 
occa¿ons, when he hath met with our ihep^ 
herds, from whom he fometimes begged part 
^f their provifion, and at other times hath 
taken it by force ; for when the fit of lunacy 
is upon him, though they offer it of their own 
iree will, he will not accept t>f it peaceably^ 
without coming to blows ; but when he is in 
his right fenfes, he begs it for God's lake, in 
a very courteous and eivil manner, and returns 
many thanks for the favour, accompanied with 
abundance of tears. And truly, gentlemen» 
added the goat-herd, I and four more country 
lads, twa of them my own fervants, and the 
other two friends of mine, yeflerday lefolved 
^ go in fearch of him, and after having found 
him, to carry hioa, either by force or £ür 
means, to the city of Almodavar, which is 
about eight leagues from hence, and there have 
him cured, if he be curable ; or leam of hisB^ 


DON <l^UIkOT£. ^t^ 

Hdbtii he is in hts fáafts^ who he is, or whe^ 
tfaer or not be has nnj reladons to whom we 
inay give axk accoimt of his misfimfuie. This^ 
gentlemen, ia all I can iky, in anfwer to the 
queftions you aiked ; and you may take it for 
granted, that the owner of the goods you 
found) ia the ver)r fame perfim whom you faw 
ikip abotit;, half naked, with fueh agility:'' for 
Don Qg^xote had faid that they had feen a 
man in that conditiosv leming iGx>m roek to 
rock. 

The knight was Very much forprifed at this 
information of die goat-herd, which making 
him ftitt amie iinpatient to know who this mix 
lortmiate lunatic w«s, he determined with him* 
felf to put hisr former deágn in execution, and 
go in <)iieft of him, through die whole moon* 
tain, without leaving a care cor comear un* 
fearchfid until he flxmld find him. Bot acci« 
dent Wao more his friend on this occafion than 
he could either imagine or expc£b ; for at that 
inftant, the young man of himfelf appear* 
ed in the cleft of a rock hard by die place 
where they ftood ; and came towards them^ 
muttering fomething to himfelf, which they 
could not have underftood, had he been near, 
much lefs as he was at fome diftance from 
them. His equipage was juft as it has been 
defcribed ; but as he approached, Don Qgixote 
perceived that his buff doublet, though torn to 


52d tí Olí ujiííLóri;^ 

tügSy fttll retained the períume : from wb^nccf 
he concluded, that the perfon who wore fucb 
drefs, could not be a man of the loweft rankj 
When he came up, he faluted them very po- 
litely, though with a hoarfe mif-tuned voice ; 
and the falutation was returned with no lefs 
eourtefy by Don Qgixote, wbo alighting from 
Rozinante, with genteel and graceful deport- 
ment, went and embraced the ftranger> "tvbom 
he firained within his arms a good while, as if 
he had been a very old acquaintance. The 
other, who might have been called the tatter- 
demalion of the diftra^ed, as Don G^i:sote 
was ilikd the knight of the ivefuLcouiLtenancei 
after having fubmitted to this embrace, ftept 
back, and laying his hands on the ihoulders 
of the knight, ftood looking attentively in his 
face, in order to recoUeA him ; no lefs ailo^' 
nifliedi perhaps, at the %ure, mien, and ar^ 
mour of Don Qjuxote, than this h& was fur^^ 
prized at his forlorn appearance. At length 
the firft who broke filence after the embrace 
was the ragged youth, who fpoke what you 
may read in the following chapter^ 


DO N Qja I X o T X 3ZI 


CHAP. X 

The conttnuatim of the. adventure, in. the Sierra M/remu 

The hiftory relates, that Don Quixote liiU 
ened with vaft attention to the ihabby knight 
of the mountain, who began the conyerlatiou 
thus : " Afluredly, fignor, though I have not 
the honour to know who ^u are, I thank yotr 
heartily for thofe expreflions of kindnefs with 
which you treat me ; and wifli I were in fucfa 
a fituatiim as would enable me to Tepay this 
courteous reception with fomething more than 
mere good-will : but my haplefs fortune af> 
fords me nothing to offer in remm for the ci- 
vilities that are Ihewn me, except a hearty in- 
clination to makeamore adequate fatisfaélion." 
'^ My will and defire, anfwered Don Q(iixote, 
to ferve you is fo ilrong, that I i¥as determined 
not to quit thefe mountains until I had found 
you, and learned of yourfel^ whether or not 
the grief you manifeft in this ftrange courfe of 
life, could be alleviated by any kind of reme- 
dy, for which, had need required, I would 
have fearched with all poiiible diligence : and 
had your misfortune been fuch as Ihut up all 
the avenues to advice and redrefs, I was refolv*» 
ed to join your lamentadons, and bemoan your 
mifery to the utmoft of my power : for in all 

Vol. L Y 


}2^ aoN qjj IX or ta 

misfortunes, the greateft confolation is a Cyta^ 
pathifing friend : and if this my friendly in- 
tention defcrves -the leaft return of civility, I 
entreat you, fignor, by that courtefy which I 
fee you fo eminiently poflefat^ and moreover 
conjure you by that objeéi, which of all other» 
id diis life you have moft loved, or ape moft in 
love with, to tell me who you are» and inform 
me of the caufe that bring» you to live and 
die in this folimde, like the brute beaft» amoi^ 
which you dwell, fb dififerent from that ranlc 
and limátion to which your appearance and 
perfon declare you are intitled. And I fwear 
by the order of chivaljy which I have Teceiv« 
cd, unworthy finner diat i am f and by th& 
profeflkm of a knight-erraAt, that if yoa com- 
ply with this my requeft» I will ferve you with 
that earneftnefs^ which my duty obliges me to 
étpiefs; either in remedying your mUhap» if 
it admita of remedy, or in condoling with you, 
a» I have already promifed/' The knight of 
die wood, hearing him of the mefiil counter 
Bance talk in this inaaner, could do nothii^ 
ibr fome time but gase, and ftare» and furvey 
him from head to foot ; at length» having exa* 
minted him thoroughly, ,he laid, *^ If you have 
got any food, for God's fake fpare me a iitde ; 
Zúd after I ihaU have eaten it, I will do as 
you deiire, in return for the civility you now 
fhcw — " 


r Sancho iiiima<Uateil]r pulled from bia bag^ 
and die goat-herd from hia fcrip, feme vio 
tiula to appeal the huikgor of the tatterdemai* 
lion, who iWallowed what they gave him^ like 
a frantic perfon^ with fuch hurry, that he left 
not the intenral of an inftant between o£M 
mpitth£d and another» but leemed to devour 
rather than eat; without either fpeaking or be» 
ing fpoken to by the fpe£btora. Hia repi^ bot 
ing ended, he beckoned . them to follow, and 
coodu¿led theoi to a verdant fpot of graf», at 
the turning of a roek, a litde way frmn the 
place where they were ; and fitting down on 
the green turf, they foUowed his «umplec 
not a word being fpoken all die time, until tho 
ragged, kxug^ afhsr having adjuñed himielf 
in his ieat» begian in this manner : ^ If yon 
defire, gendcmen, that I fiionld, in a few 
words, inform you of the ismienfity of my 
mififiirtunes, you muft give me your prnmifo 
that you will not by any queftion, or other«» 
wife, interrupt the thread of my doleful ftory ; 
fi>r if you ihould, diat inftant I will break off 
the narration." This warning recalled to ths 
knight's memory the ftory recoimted by hin 
fquire, which Itill remained unfiniihed, be^v 
caufe he had not kept an exad account of the 
goats as they pailed the river. But n> retura 
to the tattered knight : ^ I give you this pre* 
caution, added he, becaufe I would briefly 
pals over the detail of my misfortunes, tbe re- 


3!X4 o o H QJÜ IXOft. 

membranee of wbich briogs fyeíh addition to 
-my woe ; and the fewer queftions you aik, the 
iboner ihall I have finiihed the illation ; aU 
tbcxigh, in order to fatisfy your curiofity to the 
full, I will not &il to mention every material 
circumftance. Don Qgixote promifed> in be- 
half o£ himfelf and the company^ to avoid all 
manner of interruption, and the ftranger, thus 

afliired, began in thele words: 

) ..... 

: '^ My name is Cardenio, the place of my 
nativity one of the beft cities in this province 
of Andalufia, my family noble, my parents 
rich, and my misfortunes lb great, that no 
doubt they have been lamented by them, and 
even felt through my whole kindred, though 
all their wealth would not alleviate my woe'; 
for the goods of fortune are but of little fer-^ 
vice againft thofe ills infli£l«d by the hand of 
Heaven. In the fame country lived, ihall I 
call her, a paradife,' virhich love had adorned 
with all the charms I could defire to poilefs ; 
fuch was the beauty of Lucinda, a young lady 
as weir bom and rich as I, though more for- 
tunate, and endowed with lefs conilaney than 
what was due to my honourable intention^^ 
This Lucinda, did I admire, love, and adore 
even from my moft tender yeara: and flié 
made me all the returns of iove and inclina- 
tion that I could cxpeiBt from her infant iage. 
Our parents were not ignorant of our mutual 


DOM qjo I X or t. ,3^5 

affe&ionj which gave them no offence, becaufe 
they foreiaw that if it ihould encreafe with our 
years» it could have no other ÜTue than mar* 
riage; an union which the equality of our 
age and fortune feemed to point out. Mean- 
while our paflion growing up with our age, 
Lucinda's father thought himfelf obliged to 
forbid me his houle ; imitating, in that parti- 
cular, the parents of Thifbe, whom the poets 
have celebrated lb much. This prohibition 
added flame to flame, and wiih to wüh; for 
thoi^h our tongues were reftrained, they could 
not filence our pens, which commonly ezprefs 
the fentiments of the heart with more lilÑprty, 
becaufe the prefence of the beloved objed 
often confounds the moft determined inten- 
tion, and puts to filence the moft undaunted 
tongue* 

<« Good heaven ! what letters did I write ! 
what chafte endearing anfwers did I receive ! 
what fongs did I compofe, infpired by love» that 
difplayed the foul unmaflced, infl^oEied each 
foft delire, r^aled the fancy, and indulged the 
wilh! in fine, my patience being exhaufted^ 
and my heart almoft confumed with the defitre 
of feeing her, I refolved to execute the fcheme 
which feemed moft favourable for my love and 
pretenfions ; and this I put in pra£iice, by de- 
manding her in marriage of her father, who 
thanked me for the honour I intended him, 


/ 


326 ^Ofr<tt;ixOTB. 

bf thi6 propofal of manying iato his iainiljr, 
but fáid» as my own father was alive, it was 
properly his bufiñefs to make the demand; 
for unlefs his cdnfent and inclination were 
obtained, Lucinda was not a perfon either to 
be given or taken in marriage by ftealth. I 
thanked him in my turn for his politenefs, 
and thinking there was a great deal of reafon 
in what he faid, afliired myfelf that my father 
would readily agree to the propofal whenever 
I ihould make it. I therefore flew inftantly 
to difclofe my fentiments to him on that fub- 
}€&, and entering the clofet where he was, 
found him reading a letter, which, before I 
could fpeak a fyllable, he put into my hand, 
faying, "By this letter. Cárdenlo, you will 
fee how much duke Ricardo is inclined to do 
you fervice." This duke Ricardo, as you muft 
know, gendemen, is a grandee of Spain, whofe 
cftate lies in the beft part of this province. I 
took and read the letter, which was fo extreme* 
ly kind, that I myfelf Ihould have blamed my 
father, had he refufed to comply with what he 
requefted in it : this was to fend me immedi- 
ately to his houfe, he being defirous that I 
Ihould live as the companion, not the fervan^ 
of his eldcft fon ; and he would take care of 
my ibrmne in fuch a manner, as ihould mani- 
feft the cfteem he had for me. Having read 
the letter, I was ftruck dumb at knowing the 
contents : efpecialiy when I heard my father 


fUDAooonce, *^ Two days hence, Cardenio, yon 
fludl fet out, according to the plealure of the 
(hike : and you ought to thank God for having 
(q^ened an avenue, through which you may ar- 
rive at that fortune I know 3rou deferve/* To 
thia declaratioq he added other advices, as be^ 
came a prudait father; and I, the night be- 
fore I departed, finding means to fpeak with 
Lucinda, told her what had happened; nay, 
I even imparted" it to her father, intreating 
him to wait a few days, without difpofing of 
her to any other, until I ihould know in what 
manner Ricardo wanted to employ me. He 
gave me his promife accordingly, and ihe con- 
finned it by a thoufand vows and anxious fight. 

^ I at length arrived at the feat of duke Ri- 
^rdo, by whom I was fo well received and 
kindly entertained, that Envy prefently began, 
to do her of&ce, pofleffing the old fervants with 
the opinion, that every ezpreflion of favour I 
received from the duke was prejudicial to their 
intereft. But he who was moft rejoiced at my 
refiding there, was the duke's fecond fon Fer- 
nando, a gay, genteel, liberal and amorous 
youth, who, in a ihort time, was pleafed to 
honour me with iuch intimacy of friendfiiip as 
l^ecame the fiibjed of every body's difcourfe ; 
and though the elder brother loved and favour. 
ed me alfo, he did not carry his fevour and 
afibdion to fiich a pitch. Now as all fecrets 


3^8 DOH QJ^IXOTX: 

4re comnumicated between fnmñ^, and die 
confidence in which I Iñrcd with Finando 
was foon changed into friendflup, he impaited 
to me. his moft fecret thoughts, and among 
other things a love afiair that gave hima good 
deal of dilquict. In ihort» he had an inclina* 
tion for a country maid, who was hb father's 
vailal ; her parenu were very rich, and ihe 
herfelf fo beauti&l, referved, modeft, and dif- 
cureet, that nobody who knew her could deter- 
mine in which of theíe qualifications ihe moft 
excelled* Theíe accomplühments of this £dr 
maiden inflamed the delires of Don Fernando 
to fuch a pitch, that he refolved, astbeeafieft 
conqueft over her virtue, to promife he would 
marry her ; for he found it impoflible to gra- 
tify his wiih in any other way. I, prompted 
mid bound by my friendihip, endeavoured to 
diifiutde and divert him from his purpofe, by 
the ftrongeñ arguments and moft lively ezam^ 
pies I could produce ; but finding them all in- 
efie¿bial, I refolved to communicate the whole 
to. his father the duke Ricardo. 


^^ Don Fernando, having abundance of cun« 
ning and difceirnment, fufpeded my intention ; 
and was afraid, that the obligation he faw I was 
under, as a faithful fervant, would not allow 
me to . conceal an affiiir fo prejudicial to the 
honour of the duke my mafter : he therefore, 
ift order to divert aoid d^eive me, obfervedi 


p o N • <LÜ I X o T I. 329 

that he could find no better remedy to remove 
the beauty that enilaved him' from his rememr 
bxauce» thaji that of abfence for a few -months; 
and therefore defired that we ihould go to my 
other's houfe, upon pretence, as he would tell 
the duke, of feeing and purchafing fome fine 
horfes in our town, which produces the beft 
in the world. Scarce had he uttered this pro- 
pofal, when, prompted by my love, exclufive 
of his prudent intention, I approved of it, as 
one of the beft concerted fchemes that could 
be imagined; and was rejoiced at meeting 
with fuch a fair conjundure and occafion of 
returning to my dear Lucinda. Induced by 
this motive and defire, I applauded his pre* 
tence, and enforced his propofal, advifing him 
to execute his plan with all fpeed ; for abfence 
would certainly do its office, in fpite of the 
moft eftabliihed inclination. At that very 
time, as I afterwards underftood, he had en< 
joyed the country-maid, under the title of her 
huft)and, and waited for an opportunity of 
owning it with fafety to himfelf, being afraid ef 
the duke's refentment, in cafe he fliould dif- 
^over his folly* It happraied afterwards, that 
as love in youi^ people is, for the moft part^ 
nothing but appetite, whofe only aim is plea« 
fure ; and this being enjoyed, what feemed 
love vaniihes, becaufe it cannot exceed the 
bounds of luture : whereas real love is bounds 
^ by HQ ftt<;h limits ; I f^y, as foon as Don 


33¡o DOHq^üixo**. 

Fenuüidb enjoyed the country-girl, his de* 
fires were appeafed, and his raptures abated ; 
and if at firft he pi^tended to feek a cure for 
them in abfence, he now eameftly defired to 
be abfent, that he might avoid any further 
^tification« 

^ The duke having given him kave, and or* 
dered me to attend him, we arrived at our ha- 
bitation, where he was received by my father 
in a manner fuitable to his rank and family. 
I went initantly to vifit Lucinda, whofe pre- 
fimce, in a moment, rekindled all my defires, 
which indeed were neither dead nor decayed 
within me : and, to my infinite misfortune, I 
made Don Fernando acquainted with my love, 
becanle I thot^ht, by the laws of that intimate 
friendihip with which he honoured me, I ought 
to , conceal nothing from him. I therefore 
praifed the beauty, grace, and difcretion of 
Lucinda, in luch á manner, as excited his cu- 
rioiity to fee fiich an accomplilhed young lady. 
Prompted by my evil genius, I gratified his 
defire, ihewing her to him one night by the 
üght of a taper, at the window from which I 
ufed to converfe with her. At fight of her he 
abfolntely forgot all the beauties he had for- 
merly feen ; he was ftruck dumb vnth wonder; 
he feemed to lofe all fenfe, became abfent and 
penfive, and, in ihort, enamoured of her to 
that degree which you will perceive in the 


HON qjoixorti 331 

coutfe úf tay unhappy ftory. And, the more 
10 in&une hie defire, which he concealed from 
mCy axid difclofed to Heaven alone, he hap- 
pened one day to find a letter which Ihe bad 
written, defiring me to aik her in marriage of 
her father, fo prudent, modeft, and tender, 
that upon penifing it» he faid, *^ In Lucinda 
alone are concentred all the charms of beauty 
and underftanding, which are divided among 
the reft of her fex,'' True it is, and I will 
now confefs it, that although I knew how juft- 
ly Fernando applauded Lucinda, I was vexed 
at hearing thefe praifes proceed from his 
mouth, and began to dread and fufped his in- 
clination ; for he was eternally talking of her, 
and always turned his difcourfe upon her, even 
when he was obliged to bring her in by the 
head and ihouklers : a circumftance that waked 
a fort of jealoufy within me ; not that I ima- 
gined aught could alter the faith and afiedion 
of Lucinda, yet, notwithftanding, my deftiny 
made me dread the very thing that confidence 
infured, Don Fernando always contrived 
means to read the letters I fent to Lucinda, 
together with her anfwers, on pretence of be- 
ing highly pleafed with the good fenfe they 
contained; and it once happened, that ihe 
having defired me to fend her a book of 
knight-errantry, in which ihe took great de- 
light, called Amadis de Gaul* 


332 DON <LU i,X O T B. 

. Don Qyixote no fooner heard him mention 
this book, than he faid, ^^ Had you tohl me, 
in the beginning of your ftory, that your mif- 
trefs^ Lucinda, was an' admirer of books of 
chivahry, you would have had no occafion to 
ufe any other argument to conviQce me of her 
fublime underilanding j which I ftKHild not 
have deemed quite fo extraordinary as you 
have reprefented it, had ihe wanted relilh for 
that fort of reading : wherefore you need not 
fpend any more words with me, in extoUii^ 
her beauty, virtue, and good fenie; for upon 
the knowledge of her taile only, I pronounce 
her to be the moil beautifiil and difcreet lady 
in the univerfe : I wiih, however, that you had 
fent along with Amadis de Gaul, the worthy 
Pon Rugel of Greece ; for I know your mit 
trefs Lucinda would have been greatly pleafed 
with Parayra and Garaya, together with the 
judicious fayings of the ihepherd Darinel, and 
thole admirable verfes of his eclogues, fung 
and rqsreiented by him with fuch gra^ fpirit^ 
and difcretipn ; but the time will come when 
that omiilion may be re¿lifíedj indeed, the 
fault, may be repaired as foon as you ihall 
pleafe . to accompany me . to the place of my 
habitation, where I can fupply you with more 
than three hundred book3, which are the feaft 
of my foul, and . entertainment of my life : 
tho' now I recoUeél, pot one of them remains 
in my poiTeflion j thanks to the malice of wick^ 


DOW QJJ I X O T £. 33^^ 

r 

ed and envious enclianters. But I hope you 
will be fo good as to forgive me for having 
contradi^ed my promife of not interrupting 
your ftory ; for when the fabjeél turns upon 
chivalry or knights-errant, I can no more for- 
bear interpofing, than the rays of the fun can 
ceafe to warm, or thofe of the moon to wet : 
but I aik pardon, pray proceed with your fto- 
ry ; for that is moft to the purpofe at prcfent." 

While DonQjoixote was talking in this man- 
ner. Cárdenlo hung his head, and fell into a 
profoimd reverie; and though the knight re- 
peated his requeft, would neither lift up his 
head, nor atifwer one word. At length, after 
a long paufe, looking up, '' Tou cannot, iaid 
he, beat it out of my thoughts ; nor is there 
any perfon upon earth, who can perfuade me 
to the contrary ; and he muft be a blockhead, 
who imagines or believes otherwife, than that 
the villain maftér Elifabat carried on á crimi- 
nal correfpondence with queen Madafima.? 
/'By heaven, 'tis falfe, cried Don Qgixote, 
with great indignation and impetuofity, as 
niiial ; that report is the cíkSt of malice, or 
rather mere wantonnefs. Qgeen Madafima 
was a moft royal dame, and it is not to be 
prefumed, that a princefs of her rank would 
confer favours upon a meer quack do¿ior. 
Whofoever thinks otherwife, lies like a very 
great fcoundrel ; and I will prove him inch. 


334 V! ^ ^ <^u I X o T 1* 

fuher on horiebaclc or afoot, arm^ or diU 
armedi by night or by day, as will m^ fuii 
his inclination." Cai:d^nio ftood all the whikf 
looking attentively at him, and being by this 
time fei2ed with the paroxy fm of hia madnefa^ 
<rould not proceed with hia ftory; neither, if 
^e had proceeded, would Don Quixote luive 
Uftened to it, for he waa ofiended at what he 
bad heard to the prejudice of queen * Mada^» 
fima, whofe reputation interefted him as much 
as if Ihe had been actually his own mtftrefs : 
fiich wonderfiil impreflion had thoie profime 
booka made on hia imagination ! 

I fay then, Cardenio being by this time on* 
4er tW tnfiuence of hia diftra^ion, and hear* 
i))gr ^intfelf called liar and feoiindrel^ with 
«ther terms of reproach, could not relilh the 
jeke; but, (hatching up a large pebble ih$t 
lay near him, aim^ it fo fuccefafolly at Don 
Q^sote's breaft, that he fell fairly on hia 
back with the blow. Sancho PanM, feeing 
bi9 mailer treated in this manner, atttcked the 
madman with his clenched lift ; but the luna« 
tie received him with fuch a blow, aa knocked 
him down to the ground at once, and then 
getting upon, Um, mauled his carcafe to hit 
heart's content ; while.the goat-herd, who at« 

* QS^pn JMbdalima» a ladf in Amailis d« OaoU atteodcd bj one 
Elilábat, a CMrgpon, with wbom Ao travels, atuf lies in woods and 
ddbm. 


9 o ir Q^y I X o T B. ¿35 

ttsúputd to dcfoid lünij net with ibe (aioe 
£ite« Having tlius maftered and pmnsnelled 
them all round, he left off, and with gitat c<Kn-> 
pofure retreated to the thickets from whence 
he; came. Sancho then arofe, and enraged tp 
find himfelf handled in this manner for no« 
thing, ran to take vengeance on the goat-herd» 
faying that he was to blame for the whole,, 
becaufe he had not informed him that the 
man had intervals of madnefs ; virhich, had 
they known, they might have guarded againft 
them. The goat-herd afErmed, that he ap- 
prifed them of what might happen; and if 
they had not heard him, it was no £iult of 
}ÚB. The fquire replied, the goat-herd retort- 
ed, and in coMlafion, they went by the ears 
together, and pulled each other's beards with 
fiich fury, that there would not have been a 
fingle hair left on either chin, had not Don 
Qgixote interpofed* Sancho grappling iboutly^ 
with his adverfary, cried, ** Give me leaver 
Sir knight of the ruefiil countenance ; this ia 
no armed knight, but a plebeian likemyfel^ 
of whom I can fecui'ely take fatisfaAion for 
(he injury he has done me, by fighting with 
him hand to hand, like a man of honour." 
*^ True, faid Don Qjuxote ; but the caufe of 
what hath happened, cannot be juftly imputed 
to hira." Peace accordingly enfiied, and the 
knight aflced the goat-herd again, if .there was 
a pofiibility of finding Cárdenlo; for he was 


¿¿6 D o K Qjü ixorz. 

extremely defircnis of heaiing the conclofion 
of his ftory. The goat-herd repeated what he 
had faid before, that he did not certainly 
know whereabouts he refided ; but, if they 
ihould ftay long in thefe parts, they could not 
fail of finding him^either mad or fober. 


9SS 


CHAP. XI. 

0/ the- ^attge adventures that happened i$ the valiant 
knight of la Mancha^ in the Sierra Morena^ where 
he didpenancey in imitation of Beltenebros. 

Don Qgizote having taken leave of the goat- 
herd, and mounted Rozinante again, com- 
manded Sancho to follow him ; and the Iquire 
beftriding his afs, obeyed with great reluc- 
tance : as they advanced at leifure, into the 
moft rocky parts of the mountain, Sanclio 
longed to death for an opportunity of talking, 
and waited impatiently till his mailer ihould 
begin, that he might not tranfgrefs his orders ; 
but being utterly unable to keep filence any 
longer, " Sir Don Qgixote, faid he, be pleafed 
to give me your bleifing, and grant me leave 
to return immediately to my wife and chil- 
dren^ with whom, at leaft^ I can talk and 


D o K qjj I X o T E. 337 

]>iattle my fill; for in commanding me to 
travel with you, through thefe deferts, night 
and dsij, without opening my lips when I am 
difpofed to fpeak, your worihip buries me a-* 
li?e : if it were the will of heaven, that beads 
fpoke, as they did in the days of HyiTop, I 
ihould be the lefs uneafy, becaufe I would con« 
verfe with my afs, at pleafure ; and that would 
be fome comfort to me in my misfortunes ; but 
it is a very hard cafe, and what I cannot bear 
with patience, to travel in fearch of adventures 
all my life, and find nought but ribroaftings^ 
blankectings, robberies, and B&ycufb; and, 
after all, be obliged to few up our mouths, 
without dariag to bring up what lies upon our 
fiomachs, more than if we were dumb*" 

^ I underftand thee, Sancho, replied the 
knight; thoü art impatient until I take off the 
interdiélion I have laid upon thy tongue : I 
take it off, then — ^fay what you pleafe, on con- 
didon, that this repeal ihall laft no longer 
than our ftay in this mountain/' *' Be it fo, 
fiiid Sancho ; to-day I will fpeak ; to-morrow, 
God's will be done : and the firft ufe I make 
of this fafe-condu£l, is to aik why your wor- 
ihip was in fuch a paffion about that queen 
Magimafa, or how d'ye call her ? or of what 
fignification was it to you, whether that fame 
Abat was her fweetheart or not ? Had your 
worihip overlooked that circumftance in which 

Vol. I. Z 


338 D o V Q^U I X o T E. 

you had jxo concern, I firmly bcHeye the mad* 
man would have gone on with bis. ftory, and 
you would have faved yourfelf die pebble* 
ihot, and I more than half a dozen of kicks 
and cufis." 

<' In &ith, Sancho, anfwered Don Qgbcote, 
if thou kneweftj as I do, wh^ an botu^urabk 
and princely lady that queen Madafima was, 
thou wouldil fay, I had great patienqe in for^ 
bearing to demoliih the mouth from whence, 
fuch blafphemy proceeded ; for, fure 'tis no 
lefs than tp iay, or even think, that a queen 
^(mld take a fiirgeon to her bed. The truth 
of the ftory is, that maftcr Elifabat» whom the 
lunatijc mentioned,^ wad n map of prudence 
and difcernment, and ferved the queen in qua- 
lity of tutor and phyfician; but, ^ to fuppofe 
that there was a9y indecent fi^iliarity be- 
tween them, is a piece oJF folly that deferves 
to be feverely chaftifed ; and to convince thee 
that Cárdenlo knew )Mt what iie fi^id, thou 
mayeft remember he was deprived ^f his 
fenies, when he took notice of that circum^ 
nance." " This I'll venture to fay, replied 
the fquire, that the words of a madman are 
not to be minded; for, if ; fortune had not 
flood your worihip's friend, and direded to 
ypur breaft the pebble that was aimed at your 
head, we ihould have been in a fine condition, 
for your having quarrelled about that lady. 


1 


whom heaytn confound: you may depend 
upon it, Cardenio would have been acquitted 
on account of his madnefs." 

'^ Every knight-errant, faid Don Qgizote, i» 
obliged to quarrel with thofe who are out of 
their fenies, as well as thofe who art in them^ 
if they afperfe the honour of women, what* 
foever they might be. How much more then^ 
in behalf of princefles of fuch high quality 
and accompliihments as adorned queen Mada« 
fima, for whom I have a particular afleólion» 
on account of her admirable qualifications; 
for^ over and above her beauty, fiie had a 
great ihare of prudence and refignation in her 
calamities, which were manifold : and the ad« 
vice and company of Mr. Elifabat were of 
great fervice in encouraging her to bear her 
affli^ions with patience and equanilnity . From 
hence, the ignorant and malicious vulgar took 
occafion to fay, and fuppofe, that ihe admitted 
of his careiles : but, they lie--*«I fay again, all 
thofe who either fay or think fo, lie in their 
throats, and I will tell them fo two hundred 
times over." *^ As for my own part, laid San- 
cho, I neither iky nor think any fuch thing ; 
thofe that do may dine upon it : if they were 
too ¿miliar, by this time they have anfwered 
for it to God. I prune my own vine, and 
know nothing about thine. I never meddle 
with other people's concerns. He that buys 


540 DON Q^ü I X O T S. 

and denies, his own purfe belies, as the laying 
is. Bare I was bom, and bare I remain : and 
if I lofe nothing, as little. I gain. If he did. 
lie with her that is no matter of mine. Many 
people hunt the hare without ever finding the 
fcut ; for. Till you hedge in the^ iky, the ftar- 
lings will fly, and evil tongues will not refrain 
from God himfelf." 

^ Good heaven, cried Don Qgizote, what 
fooleries .art thou ftringing together, Sancho! 
pray, what relation have thefeold fayings to the 
fubje¿l of our converfation ?• I chaige thee to 
hold thy peace, and henceforth entertain thy- 
felf with fpurring up thy afs, and leave off 
talking of things which do not concern thee : 
or let thy whole five lenfes be convinced, that 
every thing I have done, am doing, or will doi 
is highly reafonable, and in exa¿l conformity 
with the laws of chivalry, which I imder- 
fiand better than any knight that has profefled 
the order." " Yes, Sir, replied Sancho, to 
be fure it is an excellent law of chivalry, to 
ftroU about bewildered in thefe mountains^ 
where there is neither high-road nor by-path» 
in fearch of a madman, who, after we have 
found him, will perhaps take it in his head 
to finiih what he left undone ; not of his fiory; 
but of your worihip's pate and .my ribs, which 
he may chance to break in a thoufand ihivers.'' 


DON Q^U IZOTE. 34I 

** I fay again, Sancho, refiimed the knight, 
hold thy peace ; for I would have thee know, 
that I am not detained in this place, fo much 
by the defire of finding the lunatic, as of per- 
forming in it an exploit by which I ihall ac- 
quire everlafting renown throughciut the whole 
known world ; and put the fiamp of perfe&ion 
upon the wonderful ei]R>rts of knight-erran- 
try." ** And will this exploit be attended 
with much danger ?" faid Sancho. ** No, 
anfwered he of the rueful countenance, tho* 
the dice may run fo as to produce bad inilead 
of good fortune ; but the whole will depend 
upon thy diligence/^ ** Upon my diligence !" 

cried the fquire. " Without doubt, anfwered 
his matter ; for, if thou wilt return fpeedily 
from the place to which thou muft be fent, my 
aífiiélion will foon be at an end, and my gloiy 
will fpeedily begin ; and, that I may no longer 
keep thee in fiifpence about the meaning of 
my words, know, Sancho, that the celebrated 
Amadis de Gaul was one of the moft perfeft 
knights-errant. One of them ? faid I ; he alone 
was the only, iingle, chief and fuperior of all 
his cotemporaries. Contempt and íhame upon 
Bellianis, and all thofe who fay he equalled 
him in any one particular ; for, by this light, 
they are all egregioufly deceived ! I lay, more- 
over, when a painter defires to become famous 
in his art, he endeavours to imitate the on* 
ginals painted by the moft noted artift ; and 


342 BON flJJ I X o T S» 

the fame nmztm holds in every other 
and exeroife ^t adorna a commonwealth: 
therefore, be who wants to attain the virtues of 
prudence and equanimity, nmft endeavour to 
imitate the charafter of Ulyfles, in whofe per* 
fon and fuiferings Homer has drawn an excel** 
lent pi¿hire pf wifdom and patience, as Vir- 
gil, in the perfon of £neas, reprefents the 
piety of an afie¿lionate fon, and the fagacity 
of a wife and valiant general : not that they 
are defcribed and fet forth exa&ly as they 
were, but as they ought to have been ; as ex« 
ampies of virtue to pofterity. In the fame 
manner, Amadis ihone like the north ftar» 
the Lucifer and fun of all valiant and amo- 
rous knights ; and therefore muft be imiuted as 
a pattern, by all thofe who ferve under the 
banners of love and chivalry. Now, this be- 
ing the cafe, friend Sancho, I find that the 
knight-errant who approaches the neareft to 
this great original, wi]l bid faireft for attain- 
ing the perfection of chivalry: and one of 
the circumftances in which that knight gave 
the higheft proofs of his worth, prudence, 
valour, patience, conftancy, and love, was his 
retiring to the poor rock, when he was in 
difgrace with his miilrefs Oriana, there to do 
penance under the feigned name * Beltene- 
bros ; an appellation certainly very fignificant 
and proper to the way of life he had volunta* 

I» 

^ The beautifttl obfcqre. 


DOM Q^ÜIXOTB. 343 

ñlj thofen. As it is therefore more eafy for 
me to imiute him in this, than in cleaving 
giants, beheading ferpents, flaying dragons, 
overthrowing armies, featuring navies^ and 
diflblving enchantments; and as thisfolimde 
is ib well adapted to fuch defigns, I am re- 
folved to feize occafion by the forelock, which 
ihe now fo complaifantly prefents." 


** In leality, faid Sancho, what is your wor- 
fhip refolved to do in this remote place ?'*^ 
Have I not already told thee, replied the 
knight, that I am determined to imitate Ama- 
dis, in añing the defperado, the lunatic, and 
madman : to copy alfo after the valiant Don 
Roldan, when he difoovered, in a fountain, 
certain marks by which he was convinced that 
A ngelica the fair had committed uncleannefs 
with Medoro. A piece of information attend- 
ed with fuch grief and anxiety, that he ran 
mad, tore up the trees by the roots, fullied 
the waters of the tranfparent fprings, flew 
fliepherds, deftroyed flocks, fet fire to cottages, 
demoliihed houfes, dragged mares along the 
ground, and performed a thoufand other in- 
folent feats worthy to be inferted in fame's 
eternal record : and becaufe I do not propofc 
to imitate Roldan, or Orlando, or Rotolando, 
for he went by all thefe names, literally in all 
the extravagancies he thought, faid, and did, 
I will copy his outlines as well as I can, in 


344 DON QJÜ I X o T E. 

the moft efieptial ptrts of bis charaifier ; ntf , 
perhaps, I may contest myfelf with the fole 
imitation of Amadis, who, by his tears and 
£ghs alone, acquired as much fame as the 
other, with all the mifchief he did/' ** If I 
apprehend the matter aright, laid Sancho, the 
knights who played fuch mad pranks were 
provoked, and had fome reafon to si& thefe 
fooleries and penance : but what caufeth your 
vorihip to turn madman? With what lady 
are you in difgrace i or by what figns are yoji 
given to underftand that the lady Dulcinea del 
Tobofo has been playing the rogue either 
with Moor or Chriftian ?'' " This is the point, 
anfwered Don Qgixote, and refinement of my 
defign : a knight who turns itiadman, becaufe 
he cannot help it, can claim no merit from 
his misfortune ; but the great matter is, to run 
diilraded without caufe, and give my lady 
xeafon to ^conceive what I could do -were I 
moiftened, when I can do fo much, being dry. 
More efpecially, as I have fufficient caufe in 
the long abfence to which I am doomed by 
my ever-darling miftrefs Dulcinea del Tobo- 
fo ; for, according to the words of the ihep- 
herd Matias Ambroiio, which thou may'ft have 
heard, 

Iq abfence of my charming fair^ 
I fuffer all thofe ills I fear. 

Wherefore, friend Sancho, you need not 
throw away your time unprofitably^ in advif« 


ifig lAe to re£rain from an imitation at once fo 
admirable, rare, and bappy : mad I am, and 
mad I fliall be until tbou retumeft with tho 
anfwer of a letter which I propofe to fend by 
thee to my lady Dulcinea : and if it be fiich 
as I am intitled to by my love and fidelity, 
my diftradion and penance will end: but, 
ihould it be otherwife, I (hall run mad in 
eameft, and confequently be infenfible of my 
misfortune: wherefore, let her anfwer be as 
it may, It^ will extricate me from the doubts 
and a$i¿lion in which thou leaveft me ; be- 
caufe, if it be favourable, I fliall enjoy it in 
my right fenfes; and if it be un&vourable, 
my frenzy will not feel it 

^' But, tell me, Sancho, hail thou taken care 
of Mambrino's helmet, which I faw thee take 
up, after that ungrateful vagabond endeavoured 
in vain to break it in pieces : a circumftance 
that proves the excellency of its temper ?'' To 
this exclamation, Sancho replied, ^^ 'Fore 
God ! Sir knight of the rueful countenance, 
I camnot fuffer nor bear with patience fome 
things which your worfliip lays: for they 
make me imagine, that all you have mentioned 
about chivalry, and acquiring kingdoms and 
empires, and giving away iilands, with other 
favours and prefents, according to the pra&ice 
of knights-errant, is nothing but puffs of fidfe* 
l)ood, and the mere effedl of pinion or fiAion, 


or what do yoo call it: for who that heart 
your worihip call a barber'a bafon the helmet 
of Mambrino, and fees you continue in that 
error fo many days, but will believe, that he 
who affirms fuch nonfenfe, muft be very much 
crazed in his underftanding } The bafon, 
which is all bruifed and battered, I have put 
up in my bag, in order to be mended at 
home, and ufed for the fervice of my own 
beard, if ever, by the Grace of God, I come 
to fee my wife and family." ** Hark ye, San- 
cho, faid Don Qiiixote, by the fame oath you 
fwore, I fwear again, that thou haft the moft 
Hender underftanding that any fquire in this 
world does, or ever did polfefs ! Is it poffible, 
that after all thy travelling in my company» 
thou art not convinced that every thing be« 
longifig to knights-errant, appears chimera, 
iblly, and diftraAion, being metamorphofed 
into the rcverfe of what it is, by the power of 
a tribe of enchanters who attend us, chang- 
ing, converting and reftoring each particular» 
according to their pleafure, and the inclina- 
tion they have to favour or annoy us: for 
which reafon, what fcems a barber's bafon to 
thee, I can eafily difcover to be the helmet of 
Mambrino ; and perhaps to a third, it will af- 
ftmie a quite different appearance ; and I can- 
not but admire the providence of the fif^e who 
is my friend, in making that which is really 
and truly Mambiino's helmet, appear a bafon 


I 
■ 

1 


D ON QJÜ IZOTE. 347 

t« the reft of mankind, becaufe it is of fuch 
ineftimable value, that if it was known, the 
whole world would combine to raviih it from 
me ; but, as it appears to them no more than 
a barber's bafon, they never attempt to obtain 
it. This was plainly the cafe with the villain, 
who, having endeavoured to break it in pieces, 
left it on tl» ground when he went off; where-* 
as, had he known what it was, in good faith 
he would not have quitted it fo eafily. Keep 
it therefore with care, my friend, &r at pre* 
fent there is no occafion for it ; on the con« 
trary, I fliall ftrip off all my armour, and re* 
main naked as I was bom, in cafe I be inclined 
to imitate the penance of Roldan, rather than 
that of Amadis." 

Converfing in this manner, they arrived at 
the foot of a high mountain that ftood alone, 
as if it had been cut out from the reft that 
furrounded it. A gentle rill murmured by the 
ikirts of it, winding along a meadow, fo green 
and fertile, that it raviihed the fpedator's eye; 
while a nxmiber of foreft trees, that grew a* 
round, together with fome delicious herbs and 
flowers, confpired to make the place enchant- 
ing. This was the fcene in which the knight 
of the rueful coontenance chofe to do penance ; 
and therefore he no fooner perceived it, than 
he began to eitclaim aloud, as if he had a¿lu« 
ally loft his fenfes ; *' This is the fpot, ye 


34^ DON Qjj I X or ^ 

leavens ! which I chuie and :^paint my refi^ 
dence, while I bewail that misfortune to which 
jou yourfelves have reduced me. This is the 
place where the tears from thefe eyes will in- 
creafe the waters of that little brook; and 
where my profound and uninterrupted fighs 
will incefiantly move the leaves of thefe moon- 
tain-oaks, in witnefs and teftimony of the 
pangs which my tormented heart endures. O 
ye rural deities, whofoever ye are, who take 
up your manfion in this uninhabited place, 
give ear to the complaints of an unhappy lover, 
whom a tedious abfence and imaginary doubts 
have brought to lament among thefe craggy 
hills, and bemoan the cruel difpofition of that 
ungrateful fair, who is the end and perfe&ion 
of all human beauty! O ye nymphs and 
dryads, who are wont to inhabit the hills and 
groves (fo may no nimble and lafcivious fatyr^ 
by whom you are beloved, tho' loved in vain, 
difturb your fweet repofe !) help me to bewail 
my miihap : or at leaft difdain not to hear my 
moan ! O Dulcinea del Tobofo ! light of my 
darknefs ! glory of my affliélion ! north ftar 
of my inclinations ! and planet of my for* 
tune ! as heaven ihall pour upon you the blef* 
lings which you aik, coniider tlic place and 
condition to which your abfence hath exiled 
me, and put fuch a period to my woe, as my 
fidelity ihall feem to deferve ! O ye foliury 
trees, who henceforth are to bear me company 


DON <iv I X O T É. 349 

in this retreat, convince me, by the gentle 
waving of your boughs, that my prefencé gives 
you no difguft: and thou, my fquire, the 
agreeable companion of my good and evil for- 
tune, faithfully retain in thy remembrance» 
what thou ihalt fee me do, that thou may'ft 
recount and rehearfe every circumftance to tho 
lovely caufe of all my diftraélion !" So fay- 
ing, he alighted, and taking off the bridle 
and faddle from Rozinante, gave him a flap 
on the buttocks, pronouncing thefe words: 
^' He who is a flave himfelf, beftows freedom 
upon thee. ' O need, as excellent in thy qua* 
lities as unlucky in thy fate ! go whercfoever 
thou wilt ; thou beared engraven on thy fbre-^ 
head, that thou waft never equalled in fwift- 
liefs, either by Aftolpho's Hippogriff, or the 
renowned Frontino that coft Bradamante fo 
dear/' 

Sancho hearing this apoftrophe, ** My blef-^ 
fing, cried he, be upon him, whofeinduftry 
now faves us the trouble of taking the halter 
from the head of Dapple*, who, in good faith» 
(hould not want flaps on the buttocks, nor 
abundance of fine things faid in his praife : 
but, if he was here, I would not confent to 
his being mrned loofe, there being no reafon 
for fo doing; for he was never acquainted 
with love and defpair, no more than I 'who 

* Lo ! Sancho'f afs hath difappeared again ! 


3^0 nú Vi QjuixotBé 

was his maficr, while it pleafed God I íhould 
Ibe fo: and truly. Sir knight of the rueful 
countenance, if this departure of mine, and 
diftraélion of your worihip are really to take 
place» you had better faddle Rozinante again^ 
to fupply the want of Dapple; by which 
means a great deal of time will be faved in 
my going and coming ; whereas, if I make 
the journey on foot, I know not when it will 
\k performed ; for, in flxort, I am but a very 
forry walker." ** I fay, be it fo, then, San- 
cho, anfwered Don Qf^xotc, I approve of thy 
propofal ; and aíTure thee, that thou Ihalt fet 
out in three days, during which I would have 
thee take notice of what I ihall do for her 
fake, that thou may'ft be able to give her a 
¿ill account of my behaviour/' <vWhat more 
can I iiee, faid Sancho, than I have feen al- 
ready ?" " You are pretty perfed in your 
ftory, anfwered the knight; but, as yet, I 
have not torn my cloaths, fcattered my ar- 
mour, and daflied my head againil the rocks, 
nor performed many other things of this fort, 
which thou wilt behold with admiration.'* 
" For the love of -God, Sir, cried Sancho, 
take care how you daih your head againft the 
rocks : for you may chance to meet with fuch 
an one as will at the firft puih put the finiih- 
ing itrok^e to tliis whole fcheme of penance ; 
and I Ihould think, that as knocks of the 
head are abfolutely neceíTary to complete the 


pom tüíxoTi. 351 

work, your worQiip might content yourfel^ 
feeing the wliole a&ir is a iham, a counterfeit, 
and a joke ; I fay, your worihip might content 
yourfelf with ramming your ikuU againfi water, 
or fome foft thing, like a cotton bag ; and lea?e 
it to my care to tell my lady, that your wor- 
ihip went^to loggerheadft with the point of a 
rock, a^thoofand times harder than adamant.^ 
^ Friend Sancho, replied the knight, I am 
obliged to thee, for thy kind intention; bu^ 
thou muft know, that what I do is not a (ham, 
but a very ferious matter ; £br, to behave othec» 
wife were to tranfgrefs the orders of chivalry^ 
which forbid us to lie, under pain of being 
degraded; and you know, that to fubftimte 
one thing inftead of another, is downright 
lelfing a lie: where&re, my knocks on the 
head muft be real, hard, and efie^al, and 
not fophifticated or imaginary ; and it will be 
necdTary to leave me fome lint for my wounda, 
fince it was the will of fate that we fliould loiib 
the baliknu" ' 

^' It was a much greater misfortune, faid the 
fquire, to lofe the ais, and with him the lint 
and all ; but I befeech your worihip, not to 
talk of that accurfed drench, the fole men- 
tícm of which not only turns my flomachp 
but even my very foul; and I befeech you» 
moreover, to fuppofe we have paft thofe three 
days, which you have appointed for íhewing 


352 i>0K <íjü ixort. 

me your mad pranks ; for I take them all far 
granted, and will tell wonders of them to my 
lady. Write the letter therefore, and difpatch 
me forthwith : becaufe I am impatient till I 
return and deliver your worihip from that 
purgatory in which I leave you." " Puigatory 
call you it, Sancho ? replied Don Q¡iixote : 
it rather deferves the name of hell, or fome- 
thing wdrfe, if worfe can be/' ** I have heard, 
faid the fquire, that from hell there is no re- 
tention." ** I know not; replied the knight, 
what you mean by retention." ^* Retention, 
anfwered Sancho» fignifies, that whofoever 
goeth to hell, neither will, nor can come back 
again. The contrary of which ihall happen 
to your worihip, or my feet will nñígive m^ 
provided I carry ípurs to quicken Rozinante : 
and fetme once face to &ce before my lady 
Dulcinea, at Tobofo, I will tell her fuch fto- 
ries of the folly and madneft, for they are 
both the lame thing, which your worihip has 
committed, and will then be committing, that 
though I Ihould find her harder than a cork- 
tree, I will make her as pliant as a glove, and 
with her fweet and honeyed anfwer, return 
through the air like a witch, and deliver your 
worihip from this purgatory that appears like 
hell, though it be not really fo, becaule there 
are fome hopes of getting out of it ; whereas 
thofe who are a¿hially in hell can have no fuch 


■ \ 1 


D o H Q^ü I X O T B. 554^ 

cxpe^tian; and I dare fay, your worihip will 
not advance any thing to the contrary.'' 

" That 18 all very true, laid he of the rueful 
eountenance ; but how fhall we make ihiit to 
write this letter ?'* " Ay, and the bill for the 
colt» ?" added Sancho. ^ That Ihall be in- 
ferted in the letter, anfwered his mafter ; and 
I think, as there is no paper to be had in thiá 
place, the beft thing we can do, will be tú 
write in the manner of the ancients, on the 
leaf of a tree, or on Waxen taUes, though I 
believe, thofe will be as difficult to be found 
as the paper. But, now I remember what wilt 
do well, and excellently well for our purpofe : 
i will write it in the pocket-book which be* 
longed to Cardenio, and thou &alt take care 
to have it fairly tranfcribed in the firft place 
where thou canft find a IchooUmafter or pa« 
riih-clerk to copy it ; but, by no means em- 
ploy a fcrivener, who may write it in fuch an 
unintelligible court-hand, that Satan himfelf 
could not underftand «it/' '^ But what is to 
be done about the figning of it ?" faid Sancho. 
** Love-letters are never figned,*' replied Don 
Qjiixote. " True, reiumed the fquire, but all 
bills nrnft be fubfcribed : and if this of youra 
were to be copied they would fay the fobfcrip- 
don was counterfeit, and I might go whiftle 
for my colts." « The bill ihall be fubfcribed 
with my own hand in the pocket-book, which 

Vol. I. A a 


554 DON <t.U I X o T E. 

my niece Ihall no fooner fee, than Qxe will 
comply with the order, without any further 
objedion : and with regard to the letter, in- 
ftead of my fubfcription, thou ihalt caufe to 
be inferted, *' Yours till death, the knight of 
the rueful countenance." And though it bo 
written by another hand, it is of fmall impor- 
tance, becaufe, now I remember, Dulcinea can 
neither read nor write, nor ever fet eyes on 
any writing or letter of mine : for our mu- 
tual love has been allK^ether platonic, with- 
out extending &rther than a modefl glance; 
and even that fo feldom, that I can fafely fwear, 
in twelve years, during which I have loved 
her more than the light of thefe eyes, which 
will one day be clofed in duit, I have not feen 
her more than four times, and even in thefe 
four times, perhaps, Ihe hath not perceived 
me looking at her more than once. Such is 
the reilraint and referve, in which her father 
Lorenzo Corchuelo, and her mother Aldonza 
Nogales, have brought her up I" 

. *' Ah, ah ! cried Sancho^ is the daughter of 
Lorenzo Corchuelo, whofe other name is Al- 
donza Lorenza, the fame with the lady Dul* 
cinea ?" '^ Yes, anfwered the knight, and 
ihe defervcs to be lady of the whole univerfe.'* 
*' I know her perfedly well, faid Sancho ; and 
this will venture to fay, in her behalf» that 
ihe will pitch the bar as well as e'er a lufly 


DON a.UIXOTE. 355 

youi^ fellow in the village. Blefs the fender I 
flie is a ftrapper, tall and hale wind and limb, 
and can lift out of the mire any fquire or 
knight-errant, who Ihall chufe her for hid 
fweet-heart. Ah ! the whore's chick ! what a 
pair of lungs and voice has flie got ! I heard 
her one day hollow from the belfry to fome 
young fellows of her acquaintance, who were 
at work in a corn-field of her father's; and, 
though it was at the diiUnce of half a league, 
they heard her as plain as if they had been 
right under the fteeple ; and, what is better 
dill, ihe is not at all coy, but behaves herfelf 
civilly ; and jokes, and romps, and plays the 
rogue with any body. Now, fir knight of the 
rueful countenance, I fay that your worihip 
not only has caufe to run mad for her, but 
even to defpair and hang yourfelf : and I am 
fure no body that heard it, but would fay you 
had done extremely well; even though the 
devil ihould run away with you : and truly, 
I wiih I were now upon my way, merely to 
fee her ; for, I have not beheld her thefe many 
days ; and, furely, ihe muft be greatly alter- 
ed ; for the fun and weather does very much 
damage to the face of a woman, who is always 
at work in the field. To tell you the truth, fir 
Don Quixote, I have hitherto lived in great 
ignorance with refpeft to my lady Dulcinea, 
whom I verily believed to be fome princefs 
that your worihip was in love with ; or a per- 


3S6 »PH q.uixo'?» 

fon of fuch rank a& to dcierve úi^ rich pj%^ 
(ents you fent to her; namely, tile Bifc^yaa 
and galUy-ilavcs, with many oth^^ whopi yo4 
conquered in the courfe of yomr numberleff 
vi^loriea, both before and ¿nee I have been 
your fcjuire. But, when one coniiders the 
afiair, what benefits can my lady Aldonza 
l4orenzo— I mean^ my Lady Dulcinea del To- 
bofo, reap from your worfliip's fendijog, as 
having £eut thofe, whom yon overcome in bat-» 
tie, to fall upon their knees before her ? efpe-^ 
cially as they might chance to come at a time^ 
when ihe is bufy, carding flax and threihing 
corn ; in which cafe, they would be aihamed 
to fee her, and ihe laugh and be out of humour 
at their arrival.** " I have freqpaently obfervcd, 
before now,, Sancho, faid Don Qinxote, that 
thou art an everlañing babbler, and, though 
of a fluUow underftanding, thy bluntnefs bor-* 
dors often on feyerity ; but, to convince thee^ 
of thy own ignorance and my difcietion, thou 
ihalt give ear to a Ihort ftory which I will 
relate. 

*^ Know then, that once upon a úwp, a ecu 
tain handfome widow, young, iroe, wealthy, 
and, above all, good-humoured, iell in love 
with a thick, fquat, brawny lay-brother, be- 
longing to a neighbouring convent : the fiipe- 
rior of which being informed of the affair^ iaid 
to the widow erne day, by way of brotherly re- 


BOW <x.u I X O T ft 557 

proof) ** I ám amated, madam^ and not With^- 
out catife, that a lady of your rank, beauty» 
and fortune^ ihouid beftow your aiie£lion upoü 
fuch a low, fimple, clowniih fellow; when 
there are fo many mafters, graduates and di¿> 
vines in the convent, among whom your lady^ 
ihip may choofe, as one picks pears,> faying^ 
•* This I like, that I loath.*' The lady anfwcr- 
ed, with great freedom and vivacity, ''Sig^ 
nor, you are very much deceived, and very 
old-fa(hioned in your opinion, if you think I 
have made a bad choice in that fellow whtf 
feems fo ümplt : for, in that particular which 
I admire, he is as much of a philofopher, nay, 
more than Ariftotle himfclf." In like tnanner^ 
Sancho, Dulcinea del Tobofo is as proper foir 
my occafions as the higheft princefs upoa 
«artlu All the poets, who have celebrated 
ladies, under names which they invented at 
pleafure, had not really fuch miftrefles as they 
defcribe. Doft thou imagine, that all the Ama*' 
ryllifes, Silvias, Phillifes, Dianas, Calateas^ 
Alidas, and other names fo often met with, in 
romances, poems, barbers' ihops, and on the 
ftage, a¿Vually belonged to ladies of fieOi and 
blood, who were adored by thofe who fing, 
and have fung their praifes } No furely ; but^ 
on the contrary, ¿re, for the moil part, feign- 
ed and adopted as the fubjcfls of verfe, that 
the poets may be thought men of amorous and 
gallant difpofitions« Wherefore, let it fuiBce, 


358 BON Q^ÜIXOTÍ. 

that I imagine and betieve the worthy Aldonza 
Lorenzo to be beautiiiil and modeft : and, as 
to her pedigree, it is a matter of fmall impor- 
tance ; there is no neceifity for taking infor- 
mation on that head, as if ihe were to be in- 
vefted with fome order of knighthood, and I 
take it for granted, that ihe is the nobleft 
princels in the imiverfe ; for, thou muft know, 
Sancho, if it be a thing of which thou art ig- 
norant, that the two qualities, which, above 
all others, infpire love, are beauty and repu- 
tation : and thefe two is Dulcinea in confum* 
mate pofieflion of ; for in beauty ihe excels all 
women, and is equalled by very few in point 
of reputation. And, to conclude, I imagine 
that all I have faid is true without exaggeration 
or diminution, I paint her in my fancy, ac- 
cording to my wiih, as well in beauty as in 
rank ; unexcelled by Helen, unrivalled by 
Lucretia, or any other heroine of ages paft, 
whether Grecian, Roman or Barbarian : and 
let people fay what they will ; if I am blamed 
by the ignorant, I ihall be acquitted by the 
moil rigid of thofe who are proper judges of 
the cafe.'* " I fay, anfwered Sancho, that 
your worihip is very much in the right, and 
I am no better than an afs : but I know not 
why I ihould mention the word afs : for one 
ought not to talk of halters in the houfe of a 
man who was hanged. But give me the letter, 
and farewell till I return.'* 




DON Q^UIXOTl, 359 

Don Qjiixote pulled out the memorandum 
book, and ftepping afide, with great compo- 
iiire, began to write the letter, which when he 
had iiniflied, he called to Sancho, faying he 
wanted to read it to him, that he might retain 
it in his memory, in cafe he ihould lofe it by 
the way; for every thing was to be feared 
from his evil fortune. ** Your worfliip, an- 
fwered Sancho, may write it down two or 
diree times in the book, and I will take fpe- 
cial care to convey it fafely ; but it is folly to 
fuppofe that I can retain it in my memory, 
which is fo bad, that I have many a time 
forgot my own name: but, notwithftanding, 
pray, fir, read it to me ; I ihall be hugely re- 
joiced to hear it ; for it muft certainly be curi- 
oufly penned/' " Liften then, and I will read 
it," faid Don Qjiixote, who began as follows : 

Don Quixote's letter to Dulcinea del Tobofo. 

Sovereign and fublime princefs, 

HE who is wounded by the edge of ab- 
fence, and whofe heart is ftuck full of the darts 
of affliAion, moft divine Dulcinea del Tobofo ! 
wiihes thee that health which he is not doom- 
ed to enjoy. If I am fcorned by thy beauty, 
if thy virtue affords me no relief, if thy dif. 
dain completes my misformne ; albeit, I am 
inured to fuffering, I can ill fupport the mifery 


I bear, whiqh hath aot only been exceffive, 
but alfo of long duration. My tnifty Squire 
Sancho will give thee an ample relation, O un- 
grateful beauty and lovely foe ! of the fitua^ 
tion in which I remain on thy accoi^it : if k 
be thy will to fuccour me, I am thy ilave : if 
Bot, ufe thy pleafure : for the end of my life 
will iatisfy thy cruelty and my defire. 

Thine till death. 
The knight of the ruefiil countenance. 

<^ By my father's foul ! cried Sancho, this 
¡8 the higheft thing I ever heard. Odds nig- 
gers ! how your worihip writes whatfoever you 
pleafe, and how curioufly you conclude, '^ The 
knight of the rue&l countenance." I verily 
believe your worihip is the devil him£elf, and 
knows every thing." *^ All that knowledge, 
replied the knight, is neceíTary for the em- 
ployment I profefs." " Why then, faid the 
(quire, be fo good as to write on the other iea^ 
the order for the three colts, and be fure to 
fubfcribe diftinélly, that when it is prefented, 
your hand- writing may be known." " With 
all my heart," faid Don Quixote, who, having 
ivritten the order, read it aloud in thefe terms. 

Dear Niece, 

PLEASE deliver to Sancho Panza, 
my fquire, or order, at fight of this my firft 
bill of colts^ three of the five, which I left 


X^ON QJ3ÍXOTZ, 361 

at home in your cuftody : which three colts I 
order you to pay, in return for the like num* 
ber received of him: and this bill, together 
with his receipt, ihall be a fufficient acquit- 
tance to you. 

Given in the heart of the brown mountain^ 
the twentieth and íecond of Auguft^ this pre- 
fent year. 

Sancho liked the form, and defired his maf- 
ter to iign it* ^^ There is no occaiion for my 
figningit, faid Don Q(iixote, with any thing 
but my cypher, which is fufficient not only 
for three^ but three hundred afies." '^ As to 
that I will take your worihip's word ; and now 
give me leave to go and faddle Rozinante» 
which when I have done, and received your 
blefilng, I ijitend forthwith to depart, without 
flaying to fee you play any fooliih tricks, 
though I will affirm I have beheld you perform 
fo many, that ihe will defire to hear no more 
of the matter." *' At leaft, Sancho, faid the 
knight, I would have thee, becaufe there is a 
neceffity for it, flay and fee me flrip, and per* 
form a dozen or two of mad pranks, which I 
can eafily finiih in half an hour ; for, whea 
thine eyes ihall have been witnefies of fome 
things I will a^, thou mayeft fafely fwear to 
what additions thou ihalt make in thy report ; 
and I ailiire thee, thou wilt not relate the half 
of what I intend to atchieve." ^^ For the love 


m^2 DON Q^UIXOTB. 

of God ! dear fir, cried Sancho, let me not 
fee your worftiip naked : for it will give me 
fo much uneafinefs, that I fliall not be able to 
refrain from weeping: and my head aches 
already, with the forrow I felt laft night, about 
Dapple ; fo that I cannot bear to be fet a mourn- 
ing again : wherefore, if it be your worihip's 
pleafure, that I ihould fee fome of your mad 
aéiions, pray difpatch them in your cloaths : 
and let them be fuch as will ftand you in moft 
ftead : for my own part, I think there is no 
occafion for any fuch thing ; and if you dif- 
penfe with them, it will fave time, and fend 
me back the fooner with fuch news as your 
worftiip defires and deferves. For, if my lady 
Dulcinea is not prepared to fend a reafonable 
anfwer, I folemnly proteft, I will extraft a fa- 
vourable reply out of her maw, by kicking and 
cuffing. What ! is it to be borne that íuch 
a renowned knight-errant as your worftiip, 
fliould run mad without why or wherefore, on 
account of a — ? I would not hj^ve her ladyfliip 
compel me to fpeak, or, egad, I fliall blab 
things by the dozen, even tho' they fliould 
fpoil the market. I am a rare fellow at that 
fport. I find flie knows little of my temper, 
Otherwife i'faith ! flie would take care to give 
me no offence," ** In good faith, Sancho, faid 
Don Qjiixote, thou feemeft to be as mad as 
myfelf.'* " Not quite fo mad, replied the 
fquirc, but a little more choleric j but enough 


DON Q.ÜIXOTE. 365 

of that. What eatables has your worihip got 
to live upon till my return ? will you go to the 
high road, and rob the ihepherds, like Carde* 
nio ?" " Let not that give thee any concern, 
anfwered the knight; though I had ilore of 
proviiions by me, I ihould eat nothing but 
the herbs and fruits which this meadow and 
thefe trees afford : the perfection of my defiga 
confifting in abftaining from food, and en- 
countering other hardihips." " Your worihip; 
muil know, iaid Sancho, that I am afraid I 
ihall not find my way back again to this con-» 
cealed and unfrequented place, in which I leave 
your worihip." " Take good notice of the 
marks, anfwered the knight, and I ihall en- 
deavour to remain always near this very fpot; 
nay, I will take care to afcend the higheft 
rocks hereabouts, that I may have a chance 
of defcrying thee afar off, in thy return. But, 
the beft .fchcmc for preventing thy being be- 
wildered, will be, to cut down fome of the 
£irze that grows here in great plenty, and drop 
bunches of it, at fmall diilances on the way, 
until thou ihalt reach the flat country: and* 
they will ferve as land-marks to guide thee 
hither on thy remm, like the clue of Thcfeus, 
in the labyiintlj of Crete,'* 

*' I will take your advice, faid Sancho ;'* 
who accordingly cutting a large bundle, beg^ 
s^d his mailer's bleifing, and took his leave^ 


364 VOV tLUIXOTK* 

not without many tears on both ikies. Tbeo 
mounting Rozinante, whom Don Qgixotd 
ilrongly recommended to his care, command* 
ing him to pay aa much regard to the need as 
ke would ihew for his own perfi>n ; be fet out 
§m the plain^ fcattering» by the way, the furze 
he had cut, according to the dire&ion of his 
mafter* In this manner, then, did he begin 
his journey, notwithilanding the inceflant im-* 
portunities of Don Qiiixote, who folicited him 
to ftay and fee fome of his extravagancies: 
but; he had not travelled above an hundred 
yards, when he remmed, faying, " I confefs 
your worfliip was in the right, when you ob- 
ierved, that, in order to my fwearing with a 
&& confcicnce that I have feen you perform 
mad pranks^ it would be necefiary for you to 
play fome in my prefence ; although, in my 
opinion, I have feen a pretty good fample al<- 
r^ady in your ftaying here by yourfelf." " Did 
not I tell thee fo, Sancho ? faid Don Qgixote : 
wait a little, and I will finiih them in a twink- 
Kng*" So faying, he ñript off his breeches in 
a great hurry, leaving his pofteriors covered 
by the tail of his ihirt alone, and without fur- 
ther ceremony, cut a couple of capers^ and a 
like number of tumble^ with his *bead down 
and his heels up, difclofing particulars^ which 
ihocked the modefty of Sancho fo much, that 
in order to avoid the fight of them a feV:ond 
time» he mmed Rozinante, fully íkisfied and 


i 


pka&d, that he might now honeftly fwear he 
had left his mañer diílrajded. We will there« 
fore let him purfuc hia journey, till hÍ6 re^ 
turn, which was more fpeedy than could be 
ezpe£led« 


CHAP. XIL 

JÍ c9ntinuati$n of th$ nfifumints in lovi^ pra&tfci if 
Don ^ixoUy in the brown fa$untain* 

B U Ty to return to the account of what the 
knight of the rueful countenance executed 
when he found himfelf alone. The hiftory 
relates, that, having performed the capers and 
the tumbles, naked from the waift downward, 
and perceived that Sancho was gone, without 
waiting to fee more of his extravagancies, he 
climbed to the top of a high rock, and there 
revolved what he had often refle¿ted upon, 
without coming to any conclufion; namely» 
whether it was better and more fit for his pur<* 
pofe to imitate Orlando in his outrageous, or 
Amadis in his melancholy madnefs, ^ It is 
not to be wondered at, faid he withm himfelf, 
if Orlando was fuch a ftout and valiant knight 
as he is reprefented ; for he was adually ea- 


¿66 ÚOH Q^UIXOtB. 

chanted, and invulnerable by every weapon 
but the point of a pin, thmft into his foot^ 
upon which he always wore a ihoe with feven 
foles of iron : though that precaution did not 
avail him againft Bernardo del Carpeio, who 
being informed of the contrivance, ftrangled 
him in his arms at the battle of RoncevaU 
les : but the circumftance of his valour apart, 
let us confider that of his lofing his fenfes, 
which a¿lually happened, when he found the 
tokens in tlie fountain, and received the infor- 
mation of the ftiepherd, by which he learned 
that Angelica had flept more than two after* 
noons with Modoro^ the little Moor, with 
curled locks, who was Agramonte's page ; and 
truly, if he was convinced in his own mind 
that his miftrefs had mifbehaved in that man- 
ner, it was no great feat to run mad upon the 
difcovery. But, why ihould I imitate him in 
his madnefs, when the occafion is not fimilar ; 
for, my Dulcinea del Tobofo, I dare fwear, 
never in all the days of her life, beheld one 
Moor in his own likenefs ; and is this day as 
much a virgin as the mother that bore her ; I 
ihould therefore do her a manifeft injury, in 
imagining otherwife, and adopting that kind 
of madnefs which pofleffed Orlando Furiofo. 
On the other hand, I am feniible that Amadis 
de Gaul, without lofing his fenfes, or a£ting 
the madman, acquired as much, or more fame 
than he, in the chara¿ter of a lover ; for, ac- 


0OK Qjü ixort, 4^7 

tórding to the hiftory, all that he did, when he 
found himfelf in difgrace with his miftrefs 
Oriana, who baniihed him from her prefence 
during pleafure, was to retire, in company of 
a hermit, to the poor rock, where he contented 
himfelf with bemoaning his misfortune, until 
heaven fent him fuccour, in the midft of his 
great neceffity and affliélion. If this circum- 
fiance, therefore, be true, as I know it is, why 
ihould I now take the trouble of ftripping my* 
felf naked, or give umbrage to thefe trees» 
which have done me no harm ! or what reafon 
liave I to defile the pure ftream of thefe rivu- 
lets, which, when I want it, will yield me 
pleafant drink ! Flourilh then the memory of 
JVmadis ! and let him be imitated as much as 
poflible, by Don Qgizote de la Mancha, of 
whom may be faid, that which is * recorded of 
another, ' If he did not atchieve great things, 
at leaft, he died in attempting.' And, though 
I am not baniihed nor difdained by my Dul- 
cinea, let it fuffice, as I have already faid, that 
I am abfent from her. Come then, let us be- 
gin : recur to my remembrance, )^e feats of 
Amadis, and initiate me in the imitation of 
your fame ! I know his chief exercife was 
prayer, and in that too will I follow his ex- 
ample. So faying, he compofed a rofary of 

* Probably alluding to the epitaph of Phaeton. 

Hie fitus eft Phaeton, currds auriga paterni» 
Quern ñ non tenuit, magnis tamen excidit aufis. 


3$8 DOM Q^U I X O T E. 

the laige galls of a cork-tree, which he ftrong 
together inftead of beads ; but^ he found an 
infimnountable difficulty in the want of an 
hermit to confefs and confole him : wherefore, 
he entertained himfelf in ftrolling about the 
meadow, writing and engraving verfes on the 
barks of trees» and the fmooth fand : all of 
which on the fubjed of his own melancholy, 
or in praife of his miftrefs Dulcinea : but, after 
he was found in this place, none, except the 
following, remained intelligible and entire. 

YE trees acd herbs, fo gpreen and tall. 

That ihade this meadow, and adorn» 
If you rejoice not at my thrafl, 

GiTe car unto a wretch forlón ; 
Nor» let my grief, though loud, invade 

Your peace j but» by Don Quixote, be a 
Self-offer'd tas of forrow paid 

In abfence of his Dulcinea 

del Tobofo. 

Thefe are the rocks to which he's driven. 

By her who feems not much to care for 
The trueft lover under heaven : 

And yet he knows not why nor where&re* 
By love tofii'd like a tennis-ball» 

A caik of tears wiU not defray a 
y^hole day's e&pence of grief and gall, 

lu abfence of his Dulcinea 

del Tobofo. 

Among thefe craggy rocks and brambles. 

He hangs, alas ! on forrow*s tenters ; 
Or curfesy as alone he rambles. 

The cruel caufe of his mifventures* 


DON QJJ I X O T £• 369 

. tlnpitying love about hit ean^ 

With fcourge fevere began to play ü 
Moft dreadful game» that made his tears 
Flow for his abfent Dulcinea 

del Tobofo. 

Thefe verfes, with the addition of dfcl Tobo- 
ib, to the name of Dulcinea, afforded infinite 
diverfion to thofe who found them : for, they 
concluded Don Qgixote had imagined, that^ 
if he named her without this title, the ftanza 
could not poilibly be uaderftood; and this 
was really the cafe, as he afterwards owned* 
Many other ditties did he compofe ; but as we 
have already obferved, none but . thefe three 
fianzas could be decyphered and read^ In 
this amufement, in fighing, invoking the fauns 
and filvans of thofe woods, the nymphs of 
the brooks, with the damp and doleful echo to 
hear, confole, and refound his complaints; 
and, in culling plants, to fuftain nature, he em* 
ployed himfelf till the return of Sancho, who, 
had he ftayed three weeks, inftead of three 
days, the knight of the ruefiil countenance 
would have been fo emaciated and disfigured, 
that he could not have been kpiown by the 
mother who bore him. 

However, it will not be amifs to leave him, 
cngroiTed by his fighs and poetry ; in order to 
recount what happened to Sancho Panza in 
xhe execution of hia embaíTy. Having reach* 

Vol. L B b 


y¡0 DON Q^U I X O T ES^ 

cd the highway, this truñy mdSenger took the 
road to Tobofo, and next day arrived at the 
very inn where he had met with the difgracc- 
ful adventure of the blanketting. He no foon- 
cr perceived the unlucky houfe, than he fanci- 
ed himfelf cutting capers in the air again ; and 
was very loth to enter, although it was then 
dinner-time, and he was very much inftigated 
by the defire of tafting fomething hot, as he 
had lived for a great many days paft on cold 
vi¿luals only. This inclination compelled 
him to ride clole up to the inn, where, while 
he wad fitting in fufpence, and hefitating whe- 
ther or not he ihould enter, two perfons hap- 
pened t» come to the door, and knmríng him 
immediately, the one faid to the other, ^ Pray, 
Mr. Licentiate, is not that m»i on horfebaek 
our neighbour Sancho Panz^ who, as the 
lioufekeeper told us, went out with eus aé- 
▼enturer in quality of fquire ?*' ** The very 
fame, anfwered the licentiate, and that is the 
individaal horfe of our friend Don Qj^HXote/' 
And no wonder they ihould know hi^fo eafr* 
ly ; for they were no other than the curate and 
barber of the knight's town, by whom the 
fcrutiny and trial of his books were held. 
Having therefore recognized Sancho Panza 
and Rozinaáte, and being impatient to hear 
news of Don Qgjbcote, they ñn up to the 
Iquircj and the curate called him* by name, 
faying ,v ** Friend Sancho, where is your maí- 


POM Q^ÜIXOTli 371 

ter?" Sancbo, who retoUe&ed them álfo, re« 
folved to conceal the place and condition ia 
which be had left his mailer ; and therefore 
anfwered) *' that the knight was in a certain 
place, employed about a certain affair of the 
utmoft importance, which he durft not difcloie 
for the eyes that ftood in his head/' '^ That 
pretence will not do, Sancho, faid the barber; 
if you refufe to tell where he is, we fhall ima« 
gine, as indeed we do, that you hare robbed 
and murdered him, and taken pofleí£(m of 
his horfe ; fo, that in good footh, you nmft 
either produce him, or, in this very fpot, w« 
will — " « You have no occafion» cried San- 
cho, interrupting him> to threaten people in 
this manner ; 1 am not the man to rob and 
murder any perfon : every man niaft fitU by 
his own fortune, or by the will of God that 
created him : my mailer is ibund and fafe, 
doing penance in the midft of that mountain» 
to his heart's content." He then, without 
paufing, in a breath informed them of the con« 
dition in which he left him, recounted all tho 
adventures which had happened to him, and 
told them of the letter he was carrying to my 
lady Dulcinea del Tobólo, who was no other 
than Lorenzo Corchuelo's daughter, with whom 
his mailer was up to his ears in love. 

They were ailoniihed at what the iquire re^ 
latedj and though well acquainted with tho 


^7á5 D t) M QJÜ I X O T C* 

particular fpecies of Don Qgixote's madnéfs, 
this inftance afforded frefli admiration : they 
defired Sancho to íhew them the letter for the 
lady Dulcinea del Tobofo; and he told them 
it was only a rough draught, written on the 
leaf of a pocket43oakr and that his mafter 
had ordei*ed him to get it tranfcribed on a 
iheet of paper, with the firft convenient op-^ 
pormnity. The curate promifed to tranfcribe 
it in a fair and legible hand, and again defir^^ 
i^g^ £ght of it, Sancho put his hand in his 
bofom, in fearch of the book, which, how- 
cver^ he could not find ; and indeed, had he 
fumbled till this time, it would have been to 
no purpofe : for he had left it with Don Qgiz- 
ote, who had forgot to give, as he, to aik it of 
him, before he fet out Sancho, mifling his 
charge, grew pale as death, and fearchmg 
again his whole body with great eagemefs, 
could find nothing; upon which, without more 
ado, he laid hold of his beard with both 
hands, and plucked one half of it &om his 
chin ; then, with van difpatch and precipita- 
tion, belaboured his face and nofe in fuch a 
manner, a^ left the whole covered with blood. 
The curate and barber feeing him make fo 
free with his own perfon, aiked what had hap- 
pened to him, that made him handle himfelf 
fo roughly ? ** What has happened to me ? 
cried the Iquire* I have loft and let flip 
through my fingers, in an inftantv three a& 


DON Q^ÜIXOTB. 375 

colts, «ach of which was as tall as a tower/^ 
^* By what means ?" refumed the barber, " I 
have loft, anfwered Sancho, the pocket-book, 
in which was written the letter for Dulcinea, 
together with an order, fignfed by my matter's 
own hand, defiring his niece to deliver to me 
three colts out of four or five which he has a( 
home." At the fame time, he told them how 
he had loft Dapple. The curate comforted 
him, by faying, that when he returned, his 
mafter would renew the order, and give him a 
bill upon paper, as the cuftom is, for thofe 
written in pocket*books are never apcept^ or 
paidt 

With this aflbrance Sancho confeled him- 
lelf, obferving, fince that was the cafe, he 
Ihould not give himfelf much uneafinefs about 
the lofs of the letter, which, as he retained it 
by heart he could caufe to be tranfcribed where 
fj|d when he pleafed. The barber defired him 
to repeat it, telling him they would tranfcribe 
it ; upon which Sancho began to fcratch his 
head, in order to recoiled it, ftandiog ibme- 
times on one foot, fometimes on the other¿ 
One while he fixed his eyes upon the ground, 
then lifted them up to. heaven : at laft, after a 
moft tedious paufe, during which he gnawed 
off the half of one of his nails, and kept his 
hearers in the moft impatient fufpence ; '^ Fore 
Qod ! Mr, Uc^ntiate, laid he, I believe tKe de^ 


374 ©ON njj ixoTti 

Til has ron away with every word that I te* 
membered of this letter : though I am pofitive 
it began with * fubterrene and fnblime prin- 
cefs !' *' It could not be fiibficrrene, laid the 
bai'ber, but fuperterrene or fovereign/' ** Yoa 
are in the right, reiumed Sancho : then if my 
memory does not &il me> it went on with ^ the 
fmitten, the fleeplefs, and the ibre^ kilTes your 
hands, moft ungrateful and unregarded beau* 
ty:' and fomething or other of health and 
diilemper which he wiihed her ; nmning on 
at this rate, till he concluded with. Yours, 
till death, the knight of the rueful counter 


nance.'* 


The hearers were not a Ittde diverted with 
this fpecimen of Sancho's memory, which' they 
applauded very much ; defiring him to repeat 
the letter again^ twice over, that they might 
retain it, until they could have an opportunity 
of tranfcribing it. He accordingly renewed 
bis efibrts^ repeated it three times ; and as often 
recited three thouiand other abliirdities. He 
likewife gave them an account of every thing 
vvhich had befallen his mafler ; but mentioned 
not a fyllable of the blanketting that had hap- 
pened to himfelf, in that very inn which he 
refiifed to enter : nay, he gave them to under* 
ftand that hismafter, as foon as he could bring 
bim a favourable difpatch from my lady DuU 
9ÍQea del Tobofo^ would put himfelf in the 


PON <UÜ I X O T Kr 575 



iray of becoming an emperor, pr moaarch at 
leaft, aocordiog to the plan fettled between 
them. This he xeprefented as a very eafy 
matter; confidering the valour of his perfou 
and ftrength of his arm ; and told them, that 
this defign would be no fooner accompliihed» 
than the knight would beftow upon him in 
marriage (for by that time, he muft of necef- 
fity be a widower) one of the maids of hosK>ur 
to the emprefs ; a fine young lady, and heireid 
of a vail and wealthy eftate upon the main 
land, without any oilands or iflands, which 
tie did not much care for^ 

Sancho uttered this piece of wrong-headed 
information with fuch compofure, wiping his 
nofe from time to time, that his townfmea 
could not help admiring anew the madnefs of 
Dpn Qfiizote, which, like a 'whirlpool, had 
fucked in and fwept along with it the under* 
ftanding of this poor fimpleton* They did not 
choofe to fatigue themfeives with endeavours 
to convince him of his error ; but, as they 
believed it was not prejudicial (o his con« 
ibience, refolved, for their amuiement, to en* 
courage him in his folly : with this view, they 
advifed him to pray to God for long life and 
health to his mailer ; and obferved, that it was 
a thing both likely and fea&ble that he fliould^ 
in procefs of time, become an emperor, sii 
leaft aa archbiihop, or attain fome ilation of 


376 OON Q^UIXOTE. 

equal dignity. To this encouragement, San« 
cho replied, ^' Gentlemen, if fortune ihould 
bring matters abou^ fo as that my mafter 
Ihould incline to be an archbiihop rather than 
an emperor, I ihould be glad to know what 
archbifliops-errant beftow upon their fqnires?" 
The curate told him, that they commonly 
gave them fome limpie benefice, curacy, or the 
office of facriftan, with a good yearly income, 
befides the fees of the altar, which are ufually 
reckoned at as much more. ^* In order to fiU 
an employment of that kind, anfwered San-» 
cho, the fquire muft be unmarried, and at leaft 
capable of afliíling at mafs ; and if that be 
the cafe, what will become of me, who have 
not only the misfortune to be married, but am 
alfo ignbrant of the firft letter of the A, B, C{ 
ihould my mailer take it in his head to be an 
archbiihop, rather than an emperor, according 
to the cuftom of knights-errant ?" " Pon't 
make yourfelf uneafy about that matter, friend 
Sancho, faid the barber; for we will intreat 
and advife your mafter, nay, even make it an 
affair of confciencc, for him to become an 
emperor rather than archbiihop, as a ftation 
more fuited to his difpofition, which is more 
warlike than Ihidious/* " I was of the fame 
opinion, refumed Sancho, but now, I'll ven- 
ture to fay, he has a capacity for every thing : 
and what I intend to do, is to beieech our Lord 
\Q dire^ his choice to that ftation which wiU 


0ON <l^UI5COTl. 377 

be xnoft for his own honour and my advan-* 
tage," " You fpcak like a fenfiblc man, faid 
the curate ; and in fo doing, will aft the part 
of a good chriftian : but, our prefent bufinefs 
is to think on fome mean$ of putting an end 
to this ufelefs penance your mailer has im- 
pofed upon himfelf ; and in the mean time go 
in to dinner/' Sancho defired them to enter, 
faying he would wait for them at the door, 
and afterwards tell them why he did not go in, 
;ind wherefore it was not proper for him fo td 
do : but begged they would be fo good gs t0 
bring out fomething hot for hin^felf, and fome 
barley for Rozinante. They accordingly went 
ip, aiiid in a little time the barber brought him 
out a mefs of hot viftuals. After they had 
both maturely df liberatec) aboi}( xhc means of 
accomplifliing their defign, the curate fell upon 
a fcheme, extremely well adapted to the tafte 
of the knight, as well as to their purpofe. He 
propofed to cloath himfelf in the drefs of a 
lady-errant, and that the barber fhould dif- 
guife himfelf as well as he could, in the like- 
nefs of a fquire; which being done, they 
ihould go to the place where Don Qgixote was, 
and the prieft, on pretence of being a damfel 
in diftrcfs, ihould beg a boon, which he, as a 
valiant knight^errant, could not help granting i 
this boon ihould be a requeíl, that he would 
accompany her to a certain place whither ihc 
^^uld condu¿t him, there to redrefs an injury 


37S DON iUÍS I X o T E. 

ÜXC had received from a difcourteous knight; 
and the boon fliould be attended with an hum-t 
ble fupplication, that he would not defire her 
to take off her maik, nor aik any queftion a« 
bout her afiairs, until he ihould have done her 
juftice upon her adverfary. And as he firmly 
believed that Don Qgixote would comply with 
any requeft made in that ftile, he hoped, by 
thefe means» to withdraw him from the moun* 
tain, and condu£l him to his own habitation, 
where they would endeavour to find fome re« 
inedy for his ftrange diforder. 


CHAP. XIII. 

How the curate tmd barber Jit &ut m the executwi ef 
' their plan ; with other events worthy to be recorded ¿i 
this fublime hijiory. 

This fcheme of the curate was fo well re- 
liihed by the barber, that they began to put 
it in execution immediately ; by borrowing of 
the landlady a petticoat and mcker, for which 
the prieft left a new caflbck in pawn :• while 
the barber made an artificial beard of the tail 
of a pied ox, in which the inn-keeper ufed to 
ilick hi^ comb. When the Jbofiefs aiked what 


PON <UÜ IXQTt» 379 

occafion they bad for thefe things, the curate 
gave her a brief account of Doa Qgixote^s mad« 
B^fs, and explained the ufe to which they 
intended to put the difguife, in order to dif- 
engage him from the mountain where he then 
was. The inn-keeper and his wife immedi- 
ately difcovered that this lunatic was no other 
than their quondam gueft, who was author of 
the balfam, and mailer of the blanketted fquire ; 
and recounted to the curate every thing that 
had happened, not even forgetting the circum-i 
fiance which Sancho was at fuch pains to con* 
ceaL In íhort, the landlady dreiied up the 
curate in a moil curious manner : ihe put upon 
him a cloth petticoat flounced and furbelowed, 
with a broad border of black velvet; and a 
clofe jerkin of green velvet, gárniíhed with 
robings of white lattin, which, together with 
the petticoat, feemcd to have been made in the 
reign of king Bamba* : he would not fuffer him- 
felf to be coifed, but covered his head with a 
quilted linen night-cap, which he always carri- 
ed about with him ; and bound his forehead with 
a garter of black taffety, making a Ibrt of maik 
with the other, which e£fe¿lually concealed his 
countenance* and beard* Over all, he flapped 
his beaver, which was fo broad that it might 

* Bamba or Wambay king of the Vifigoths in Spain, mounted 
Che throne in the year 6j^, and was famous for his fucceft againft the 
Arabians!, as well as for his attachment to the chriilian religion, as a 
proof of which he retired into a monaftcry, and rcfigaed the king« 
dom ft) Ervige, 


58o PON <LU|XOTIr 

have fervttd for an umbrella; and wrapping 
himfelf up in his cloak, mounted his mule» 
iitting fide ways like a woman : while the bar<t 
ber beftrid his own beaft, with his beard Aowt 
ing down to his girdle, of a white and red 
colour, being made, a9 we before obferved, 
of a pied ox's tail, 

Thus equipped, they took leave of every 
body prelenc, even the kind Maritornes, whcf 
promifed, though a finner, to mumble a whole 
xofary over, in prayers to God, for the good 
fiiccefs of that arduous and chriftian defign 
they had undertaken : but fcarce had they faU 
Vied from the inn, when the curate began to 
think he was to blame for difguifing himfelf: 
it being, in his opinion, indecent for a prieft 
to appear in fuph a manner, how much foever 
depended upon their fuccefs. He therefore 
propo&d that he ihould exchange charaders 
with the barber, who might a£l the part of the 
damfel in diilrefs, while he took that of the 
fquire, which he thought did not fo much 
profane the dignity of the cloth : and unlefs 
his neighbour would agree to this propofal, he 
{tfliired him that he was refolved to go no far- 
ther, even if the devil himfelf ihou}d carry off 
Don Quixote. At (hat inftant Sancho chanc- 
ed to come up, and feeing them in fuch a garb, 
co\^ld not refrain from laughing : in ihort, the 
barber aflented to every thinjj the other pro* 


pofcd ; and the plan being thus altered, the 
<nirate began to inftruA him touching his beha- 
viour and fpeech to Don Qiiixote, in order to 
move and induce him to accompany them, and 
quit that place he had chofen for the feene of 
his vain and extravagant penance. The bar- 
ber told him, that without his leiTons, he knew 
Very well how to demean himfelf in the cha- 
xa&er; and as he did not chufe to put on the 
dréfs till they ihould be near Don Quixote, he 
folded it up with great care, the priefi adjuft- 
ed his beard, and both together proceeded on 
their journey, under the díre¿lion of Sanchd 
Panza, who, by the way, related to them what 
happened between his mailer and the maoman, 
*whom they met with in the brown mountain ; 
concealing, neverthelefs, the circumftance of 
the portmanteau, and its contents; for, not- 
withftanding his fimplicity, our youth was as 
covetous as wifer people. 

Next day they came to the broom boughs, 
which Sancho had ilrewed, in order to afcer- 
tain the place where he had leñ his mailer : 
he no fooner, therefore, perceived his marks, 
than he told them that was the entrance into 
the mountain, and defircd them to put on their 
drefies, if they were ijieceflary towards the 
deliverance of his mailer : for they had alrea- 
dy aíTured him, that their travelling in fucb 
difguife was of the utmoil importance, in dif- 


^9^2? D o lí <l.U lit O T S. 

engaging tlae knight from that dífagreéable 
courfc óf Ufe he had chofen : and they charge 
cd him not to tell his mafter that he knew wha 
they were ; and if he Ihould aik, as doubtlefs 
he would, whether or not he had delivered 
the letter to Dulcinea» they adviied him to an« 
fwer in the affirmative, and tell him, that aa 
ihe could not read it, ihe had fent her anfwer 
by ward of mouth» commanding him, on pain 
of her difpleafure, to appear in her prefence 
with all convenient fpeed, on an affair of the 
utmoft confequence to him : for, with this an-* 
fw(er» and other fpeeches they intended to 
make,^ they did not at all doubt of reconciling 
him to a better way of life, and prevail upon 
him immediately to begin his career towards 
being an emperor or king ; and as to the office 
of archbiflxop, Sancho had nothing to fear. 
The iquire liftened to thefe dire£tions, which 
he carefully depofited in his memory, thank* 
ing them heartily for their intention to advife 
his mailer to accept of an emperor's crown, ra- 
ther than an archbiihop's mitre, as he was very 
fenfible that emperors could do more for their 
fquires than archbiihops-errant. He alfo pro* 
pofed to go before, in fearch of his mailer, 
and impart to him this anfwer of his lady, 
which, he aflured them, would be fufflcient to 
bring him out of the mountain, without theiz 
being put to any further trouble. They ap* 
proved of his opinion, and refolved to ilay 


DOM <L.UlXaTE. 38* 

ivhere they were until he ihoald return with 
the news of his having found Don Q)iixote : 
accordingly, Sancho proceeded towards the 
heart of the mountain, leaving them in a fpot 
watered by a fmall purling brook, and ihaded 
in a moil cool and agreeable manner, by fome 
rocks and trees that grew round it. 

It being then the month of Auguft, when 

the heat in thofe parts is excef&ve, and three 

in the afternoon, which is the hotteft time of 

the day, they were the more charmed with 

the fituation, which was fo inviting, that they 

chofe it for the place of their refidence, un* 

til Sancho fliould return. While they lay at 

their eafe, under the covert of this Ihade, their 

ears were faluted with the found of a voice, 

which, though unaccompanied by any inftru- 

ment, fung fo fweet and melodiouily, that they 

were ftruck with aftoniihment; little expeél- 

ing to meet with fuch a delicious warbler in 

that unfrequented place : for though it is ufuaU 

ly faid, that the woods aúd mountains abound 

with fhepherds, who fing moft enchantingly, 

that report is rather the ñ¿lion of poets than 

the voice of truth : bciides, the verfes which 

they heard, were not compofed in the ruilic 

phrafe of clowns, but in a polite and courtly 

ftnán; as may be pcrcdved by the Xbng itMf, 

which fellows : 


5^4 bos Q^UIXOtB/ 

AH I what infpiret my woefiil ftraio i 

Unkind difdain i 
Ah f what augments my mifery ? 

FcQ jealoufy ! 
Or, iay, what hath my patience worn ? 

An abfent lover's fcorn ! 
The torments then that I endure 
No mortal remedy can cure s 
For erery languid hope is ííain 
By abUence, jealoufy, difdain ! 

From lovcy my unrelenting foCf 

Thefe (brrows flow ( 

My infant glory's overthrown» 

By fortune's frown ; 

Confirm 'd in this my wretched ftate 

By the decrees of fate* 

In death alone» I hope releafe 

From this compounded dire difeáfe ; 

Whofe cruel pangs to aggravate, 

]^ortune and love confpire with fate ! 

Ah ! what will mitigate my doom i 

The filent tomb Í 
Ah ! what retrieve departed joy ? 

Inconftancy ! 
Or fay» can ought but frenzy, bear 

This tempeft of defpair I 
All other efforts, then» are vain. 
To cure this foul-tormenting pain» 
That owns no other remedy 
Than madnefs, death, inconftancy# 

The hour, the feafon» a&d the fblidide, torn* 
fpired with the agreeable voice of the finger, 
to increafe the wonder and fatisfit^ion of the 


DON Q^U I X O T S. 385 

hearers, who liilened for fome time in expec- 
tation of fomething elfe : but, the lilence hav- 
ing continued a good while> they refolved to 
go in queft of the perfon who fung fo enchant- 
.ingly: and were juft going to fet out on thi» 
• defign, when they were arrefted by the fame 
.voice, which again faluted their ears with this 
other ibng : 

O faered friendíhíp ! mild and gay, 

Who to the regions of the bleft 
Haft foar'd, and left mankind a prey 

To fraud, in thy refemblance dreft, 

Aufpicioui hear, and hither fend 

Thy fifter truth, with radiant eyet. 
To brand the.falfe profeffing friend, 

Dete&ed in the fair difguife* 

Or, come thyfelf, and reinfpire 

The purpofe candid and humane : 
Elfe peace and order will retire. 

While horror and confufion reign. 

This fonnet was concluded with a moft pro- 
found figh, and the curate and barber began 
again to liften for more ; but, finding the mufic 
converted into mournful fobs and interje¿lions, 
they were determined to know who this me- 
lancholy perfon was, who fung fo well, and 
fighed fo piteoufly. They had not gone many 
paces with this intent, when turning the point 
of a rock, they perceived a man of the fame 

Vol. I. C c ' 



586 DON QJ^IXOTB. 

make and appearance that Saaeho daieribed> 
when he related the dory of Cardenio : he did 
not feem furprifed at fight of them» but ftood 
with hia head recliaing upon bis breaft, in 
a very penfive pofture, without lifting hia eyes 
to look at them, after their firft fudden appear- 
ance. The curate, who waa a weU-fpoken 
man, concluding, from the defcription, that 
this muft be he whofe misfortune he had been 
apprifed of, went up, and in a ihort but pathe- 
tic addrefs exhorted and entreated him to quit 
that miferable courfe of life, which was the 
greateft of all misfortunes, and altogether per- 
verted the end of his being. Cardenio, being 
at that time in one of his lucid intervals, en- 
tirely free of that frantic paroxy fm which ufed 
fo utterly to deprive him of his fenfes, and 
feeing two people fo differently dreiled from 
thofe he commonly met in that folltude, could 
not help being fomewhat furpri%d ; efpeeially, 
when he heard them talk of his misfortune as 
a circumftance with which they were well ac- 
quainted ; for the curate had mentioned it in 
the courfe of his expoftulation : and therefore 
he anfwered in this manner : ^ I plainly per- 
ceive, gentlemen, that heaven, which is care* 
fill in fuccouring the good, and fometimes even 
the bad, hath feut, tho' I little deferve fuch 
favour and condefcenfion, divers people into 
this unfrequented folitude, fo remote from all 
commerce and fociety, in order to convince 


Don <l^Ü I X O 1 1. 387 

aie, by juft and various arguments, how un- 
reafonably I kGL in leading this kind of life, 
which they have endeavoured to make me ex. 
change for a better; and, as they know not 
the reafons I have, to think that, in quitting 
this fituation, I fliall be plunged into a worfe ; 
they have perhaps looked upon me as a perfoa 
of very (hallow underftanding, of, which is 
ftill a conje¿lure more unfavourable, a down- 
right madman ; and truly it is not to be won- 
dered at, if that was really the cafe : for I can 
eafily conceive, that my misfortunes operate 
fo intenfely upon my imagination, and impait 
my faculties fo much, that fometimes, in fpite 
of all my endeavours to the contrary, I become 
like that rock, void of all fentiment and know- 
ledge ; and am convinced of my infirmity too 
late, when people fiiew me the marks of what 
I have done, while I was under the influence 
of that terrible tranfport : then all that I can 
do, is to bewail my diftemper, curfe my lot in 
vain, and in eiccufe of my madnefs, relate 
my fuflcrings to all who exprefs the Icaft dcfire 
of hearing them ; that thofe of foimder judg- 
ment, knowing the caufe, may not wonder at 
the eficéls ; and if they cannot prevent, at leaft 
pardon my frenzy; converting their indigna- 
tioii at my extravagance, into compaiBon for 
my woes: and if you, gentlemen, arc come 
with that intention, which hath brought others 
to this place, before you proceed with yout 


^88 DON Q^ü I X o, T, S. 

prudent admonitions, I entreat you to liear the 
detail of my misfortunes, which you do not 
yet know, and then, perhaps, you will fave 
yourfelves the trouble which you might other* 
wife take, in foothing an ai&idion that admits 
of no confolation*^ 

The two friends, who defired nothing elfc 
than to hear from his own mouth tho^ caufe of 
his misfortune, eameftly begged he would re- 
count it, and promifed to attempt nothing con^ 
trary to his own inclination in the way of re*' 
medy or comfort. Thus aflured, the melan** 
choly gentleman began his diftrefsful ftory^ 
nearly in the fame words and circumftance/i 
which he had ufed a few days before, to Don 
Qgixote and the gogt-herd, when he was inter- 
rupted in the afiair of Mr. Elifab^t, by the 
iknight's pun£luality in aíTerting the decorum 
of chivalry, as the particulars of that quarrel 
have been already related: but now he re* 
mained fortunately free from his paroxyfm, 
and, of confequence, had time to finiih the 
narration which was imperfcél before. When 
he therefore came to the circumftances of the 
letter which Don Fernando had found between 
the leaves of A wadis de Gaul *, he laid he re- 
membered the content^» and accordingly re-« 
peated then^ in thefe terms : 

* There is no fuch letter mentioned in his converíatioB with Poq 
Qgi«ote. 


t) o N Q^ü I X o T t. 389 

Lucinda to Cardenio. 

" I every day difcover new qaalitied iñ 
Cardenio, which oblige and compel me to 
cftecm him the more. If you are inclined to 
extricate me out of all fufpence, you may e& 
feduate your purpofe, without the leaft preju- 
dice to my honour ; for my father, who is well 
acquainted with your virmes, loves me dearly, 
and far from tyrannizing over my affections, 
will cheerfiilly grant that which is fo juftly 
your due, if your paffion is fuch as I wiih and 
believe it to be." 

*• I refolved, as I have already told you, to 
demand Lucinda in marriage upon the receipt 
of this letter, which not only confirmed Don 
Fernando*s high opinion of her prudence and 
virtue, but alio inflamed him with the defire 
of ruining my hopes, before I ihould be able 
to bring them to maturity. I told this faithlefs 
friend, Lucinda's father expeled that mine 
ihould propofe the match; and that I durft 
not communicate my defire to him, left he 
ihould refiife to comply with it : not that he 
was ignorant of Lucinda's rank, virtue, beauty; 
and qualifications, which were fuHicient to en- 
noble any other family in Spain : but, becaufe 
I underftood he was averfe to my being mar- 
ried, until he Ihould fee what duke Ricardo 
would do in my behalf : in ihort, I told him 


¡igp pon QJ/lXOTi* 

that I would not venture to propofe it, being 
afraid not only of this ill confequence, but 
alfo of many others which I could not fore- 
fee ; although I bad a ftrong impreffion upom 
Qiy mind, that my wiihea woidd never be 
completed. In anfwev to this declaration, Don 
Fernando undertook to man^e the afiair, and 
prevail upon my father to propoic the match 
to Lucinda^a parents* O villain ! more ambi« 
tious than Maruis» more cruel than Catiline, 
moffe lavage than Sylla» more fraudulent than 
Galakm, more treacherous than Vellido^, 
more vengeful than Julian, and more covetous 
than Judas! cruel, falfe» vindi¿live traitor! 
what injuries faadft thou Inffered from this poor 
credulous wretch, who with fuch confidence 
difclofed to thee the moil fccret recefibs of his 
ibul ! what offence had he given ? what words 
bad he uttered, or what advice had be offered, 
that did not dire¿lly tend to thy honour and 
advantage? But, unhappy that I am! where-» 
£>re ihould I complain? feeing it is a thing 
certaii^ that when once the tide of misfortune^ 
heaped up by one^s malignant ftars, begins tx> 
descend with violence and fury, no earthly 
mound can oppoie, nor human induftry divert 
its courfe. Who could imagine, that fuch an 
illuflrious, accomj^ihed young gentleman as 
Don Fernando, who lay under oblig^moQs &)t 

* Who muriarod Sajtfho 1. kiog of CaftUoy^wlul» fte^KMl ri^ifiit 


the fervicos I had done biúii and was potreiiíttl 
enough to obuin the gratíiication of his wiih# 
whitherfoever hie amorous inclinatioQ pointedé 
Ihould plague himfel^ as I may fay» in at» 
tempts to rob me of inj fingle lamb» even bo« 
fore I had poflefled it i 

'' But, let us lay afide thefe vain and tmpro* 
fitable reikAions, and rejoin the broken thread 
of my unfortunate ftory« Well then : Don Fer* 
nando, perceiving that my prefenoe would bo 
an obñru¿lion to the execution of his falfe and 
perfidious defign, refolved to fend me back to 
his elder brother, on pretence of getting money 
to pay for fix borfes^ which he purpofely 
bought that very day he undertook to fpeak to 
my father : in cM*dcr to have an excuie for fend« 
ing me away, that he might, in my abfence^ 
the more eafily fucceed in his villanous inten« 
tion. Was it poffible for mc to prevent thid 
treachery» or indeed conceive his defign i nof 
furely. On the contrary, I ofiered with tho 
utmo^ alacrity, to fet out forthwith, fo pleafed 
was I with the purchafe he had made* That 
very night I had a private converfation with 
Lucinda, in which I told her the fcheme I had 
concerted with Don Fernando, and bade htt 
reft affured in the hope that our juft and ho« 
nouraUe defires would foon be gratified. She^ 
as litde fufpicious of Don Femando's peifid^r 
a^ I. was, intreated me to return with fpeed^ 


believing that our wiflies would be completed, 
as foon as my father ihould mention the afiair 
to hers. I don't know upon what accouiSt her 
eyes were filled with tears, when Ihe pro- 
nounced thefe words; and fomething that feem- 
ed to fwell in her throat, prevented her from 
uttering another fyllable, though ihe looked 
as if Ihe had fomething more to fay. I was 
confounded at this new circumftance, which 
had never happened before : in all our former 
converfations, which my good fortune offered, 
or my diligence effeded, there had been no- 
thing but joy and fatisfa&ion, without any 
mixture of tears, fighs, jealoufy, dread, or 
fufpicion ; all my difconrfe ufed to confift of 
acknowledgments to heaven for having beilow- 
ed upon me iuch a miñrefs, whofe beauty I 
extolled, and whofe virtue and good fenfe I 
admired : while ihe returned the compliment, 
by praifing thofe qualities in me, which flie, 
in the partiality of her fondnefs, deemed wor- 
thy of applaufe ; befides, we ufed to entertain 
each other with an account of a thoufand tri- 
fling accidents that happened among our neigh- 
bours and acquaintance;, and the height of 
my vivacity never amounted to more than the 
feizing of one of her delicate white hands, 
and prefiing it to my lips, through the narrow 
diftance betwixt the rails that divided us. But, 
on that night, which preceded the fatal day of 
my departure, Ihe wept, fighed, and fobbed. 


DOM Q^UIXOTIL 393^ 

and left me filled with confufion aüd furprife^ 
and terrified at fiich unufual and melancholy 
marks of grief and afflidion in my Lucinda* 
But I was flattered by my hopes, which afcrib- 
ed the whole to the ftrength of her pailion» 
and that forrow which is commonly produced 
by the abfence of a beloved objed. In fine I 
fet out, penfive and fad, my imagination tor- 
tured with fufpicions and doubts, which my 
refle&ion could neither digeft nor explain : a 
fiire preiage of the melancholy fate that await« 
ed me. 

** I arrived at the place of my deftination, 
and delivered my letters to Don Fernando's 
brother, who received me kindly ; but, far from 
difpatching me immediately, defired me, to 
my infinite regret, to wait eight whole days in 
a place where his father ihould not fee me, be- 
caufe his brother had writ to him to fend the 
money without the knowledge of the duke. 
But this was altogether an invention of the falfe 
Fernando, whofe brother had money enough» 
and could have fent me back the very fame 
day on which I arrived. This was fuch an 
order as I was fcarce able to obey; for I 
thought it impoflible to fupport life for fo 
many days in the abfence of Lucinda, confi- 
dering the forrow in which I had left her. 
Yet, notwithftanding, I refolved to do my 
duty like a faithful fcrvant, thoi^h I very well 


394^ DON Q.U I K o T a# 

foreikw that my obedience BUift be at the em* 
penfe of my peace* Four day» of the eight 
were not yet elapfed^ when a man eame in 
fbarch of me^ and gave me a letter, the fuper* 
fcriptioQ of which I no fooner beheld, than I 
knew it to be written by Lucinda't own hand. 
I opened it with &ar and trembling» believing 
that there muik be fomething very extnuMtü^ 
nary in th(^ eafe, which induced her to write 
to me in my abfence ; coniidering that while 
I was prefent, íhe had been fo fparing of her 
pen^. But, before I read a fyllable, I aiked 
the meflenger, who had put it into his hands ? 
how long he had been upon his jonmey ? He 
anfwered, that paffing through a certain ftree^ 
about noon, he was ilopped by a very beautiful 
young lady» who called to him from a window, 
laying, with great eamcftncfs, while the tears 
trickled from her cyet ; '^ Brother, if yon are 
a chriftian, as you icem to be, I intreat you, 
for God's fake, to carry this letter to the place 
and perfon for whom k is direded ; they are 
both well known ; and in ib doing, you will 
render a piece of fervice acceptable to the 
Lord. That you may not want conveniencies 

* The original pues prefente focas vetus h Aa»iat fignifieSy iince 
vAiiie I wa* prcfent flie M it vtry fisMan. this at arAngfutap* 
pears a ioleciüfti, and the petulant oritick. wiU «xdaim» *^ WhM oo 
caiion had íhe to write to her lover who was prefeot, unlefs ihe had 
loft Che fjealty of fpeech ?" But the feeming abforditf will ▼aniili, 
when w reñmét that by fttfnt, he mesMi ia the ime city with his 
miilrefs, to whoBi, however, according to the coAom of Spain, ba 

bad licüe or no iko^ but by s Itcerary corr eitxmdeiKaf» 


DON QjaiXOTft 39^ 

upon the road» beie is fomethiug to defray the 
ezpenfe of your journey." So ikying, flue 
threw down a handkerchief in which were 
Ued a hundred rials, this gold-ring, and the 
letter 1 have delivered. Then without wait- 
ing for a reply, ihe went from the window, 
afi^r having feen me take up the handkerchief 
and the letter» and make figns that I would 
do as flie defired. Accordingly, finding my<p 
felf fo well paid for the trouble I ihould be 
at, and feeing, by the dire^on, that you were 
the perfon to whom it was fent (and I know 
you perfe¿lly well), induced, moreover, by the 
tears of that beautiful young lady, I refolved 
to trufl no other meilenger, but come and de- 
liver it with my own hand ; and, in fizteen 
hours^ which are pail fince I received it, I ' 
have travelled to this place, which, as you 
know, is about eighteen leagues from our 
town." While I liftened attentively to the in- 
formation of thia grateful and extraordinary 
courier, my legs ihook under me in fuch a 
manner, that I could icarcB Hand upright* 
At length, however, I ventured to read the. 
ktter, which contained thefe words : 

^^ T H £ prmnife which Don Fernando 
made, to prevail upon your father to propole 
a match to mine, 'hath been performed more 
to his inclination than your advantage. Know, 
CardeniO) that your pretended friend aiked 


3i^S «^n Qjütxórié 

me in marriage for himfelf : and my fatfief, 
fwaycd by the advantage which he thinks Doii 
Fernando has over you in point of fortane, 
hath given his confent fo much in eameft, 
that two days hence the nuptials are to be ee-* 
lebrated fo privately, that none but heaven, 
and fome people in the family, are to be pre- 
fent at the marriage. My fituation you may 
guefs. If it be in your power, return with all 
fpeed, and the event of this affair will fliew 
whether I love you tenderly or not. Heaven 
grant that this may come to your hand, before 
mine ihall be prefented to him who fo ill per- 
forms the duty of a friend.*' 

*' This, which was the fum of what the lettef 
contained, made me fet out immediately, with- 
out waiting for any anfwer, or the money for 
which I had come. For, by that time, I 
plainly perceived that it was not the purchafc 
of the horfes, but his own treacherous inten- 
tion, which had induced Don Fernando to 
fend me out of the way. The indignation I 
conceived ágainft him, together with the fear 
of lofing the jewel which I had acquired, and 
treafured up with fuch unwearied fervices and 
care, added wings to my fpeed, and conveyed 
me to the place of my habitation, juil at the 
hour and minute proper for my going to vifit 
Lucinda. I entered the town privately, and 
leavmg my mule at the houfe of the honcft 


DOM Q^ÜIXOTE. §97 

inan who brought the letter, I went to the rail, 
whieh was the conftant witnefs of our love, 
and there was fo &r iavoured by fortune as to 
find Lucinda. We knew each other prefently : 
though not as we ought to have known each 
other. But, who is be who can arrogate praifc 
to himfelf, for having fathomed and difcemed 
the capricious fentiments and fickle difpofition 
of woman ? furely no man on earth.^— But, 
this apart. Lucinda perceiving me, *' Carde* 
nio, Ikid ihe, I am now in my bridal drefs, 
and this moment expe&ed in the hall by the 
traitor Don Fernando, my covetous father, and 
fome other people, who Ihall bear witnefs to 
my death Jboner than to my marriage. Be 
not confounded, my friend, but endeavour to 
be prefent at the facrifice, which, if I cannot 
prevent by my declaration, I wear a dagger 
concealed, which can obftruél a more vigorous 
determination, and, by putting an end to my 
life, begin to convince thee of the fincere paf- 
fion I have always entertained, and ilill retain» 
for my Cárdenlo." Afiraid I ihould want time 
to anfwer her, I replied with great hurry and 
confufion, ^^hct your words be verified by 
your deeds, madam. If you have a da^er 
to aflert your love, I wear a fword to defend 
it; or, ihould fortune prove our foe, to rid 
inyfelf of life." I believe flxe. did not hear 
all that I faid, becaufe flie was called away in a 
]nirry, to the bridegroom, who waited for her« 


390 0Qir Q^UIXOTK 

Thu8 deepened the night of my diftrefs ; únü 
fet the fun of my bappme£i ! I remained with.» 
oat light to my eyes» or refleéiion to nsy mind 
for fome time ; I could neither refolve to enter 
her father's houfe» nor remove to any other 
place i at length» howerer» confidering of what 
coniequence my prcfence might be, in cafe 
any thing extraordinary Ihoald happen, I re* 
oolleéted myfelf as well as I could, and went 
in, without being perceived, as I was well ac* 
quainted with all the paflages and comers of 
¿e houfe, and was favoured by the confiifion 
which then prevailed in it, on account of the 
nuptials. Thus entering, unfeen, I found means 
to conceal myfelf in the hollow of a window 
in the hall, that was covered by the meeting 
of two pieces of tapefiry, from behind which 
I could, witliout being pevceived, obferve every 
(hing that happened. 

** How fliall I deicribe the throbbings and 
palpitations of my heart, the images that oc* 
curred to my £mcy, the refle¿lions that I made 
while I remained in that iitaatíon ! they were 
fuch as I neither can nor ought to defcribe. 
Let it fufiice to fay, the bridegroom came into 
the hall, without any other ornaments than 
his ulual drefs, attended by a fitft coufin of 
Lucinda, in quality of bridefman, no other 
perfoQ being prefent, except fome fervants of 
the family. A little while after Lucinda came 


in from her cloiet, accompanied by her mo- 
ther and two waiting-women ; and as richly 
dreffed and adorned as her rank and beauty 
deferred, or as the perfedion of gaiety and 
gallantry could invent. This fufpence and 
tranfport of my foul woald not allow me to 
obferve and mark the particulars of her drefs ; 
I could only take notice of the colours, which 
were carnation and white; and the blaze of 
jewels that adorned her, which was even ex- 
celled by the fingular beauty of her golden 
locks, that ftruck the eye with more fplendor 
than all the precious ftones^ together with the 
light of four torches that burned in the halL 
O memory ! thou mortal enemy of my repofe ! 
to what purpofe doft thou now reprefent to my 
fancy the unparalleled beauty of that adorable 
foe ? cruel remembrance ! rather recal to my 
view the particulars of what then happened, 
that, incenfed by fuch a manifeft injury, I 
may take vengeance, if not upon her, at leaft 
upon my own life. But you, gentlemen, muft 
be tired with thefe digreflions : though my 
misfortune is fuch as neither can, nor ought 
to be fuperficially or fuccinélly related; be- 
caufe every circumilance, in my opinion, re- 
quires a iuU difcufiion." The curate anfwer- 
ed, that far from being tired, they were very 
much entertained by thofe minute particulars, 
which he thought deferved as much attention 
as the principal events of the ñory« 


If 


400 DOK QJ5IX0TS. 

^^I fay then, refamed Cardenio, tbat the 
parties being aüembled in the hall, the curate 
of the pariih entered» and taking them both 
by the hand, in order to perform his fun&ion, 
he faid, '' Madam Lucinda, are you willing to 
take Don Fern tudo here prefent for your law- 
ful fpoufe, as holy mother church ordains ?" 
At this queftion, I thruft out my whole head 
and neck from behind the tapeftry, and, with 
the utmoil attention and diforder of fotd, lif- 
tened to Lucinda's anfwer, which I ezpe£led, 
as either the fentence of my death or confir- 
mation of my life. O ! that I had then bold- 
ly advanced, and called aloud. Ah Lucinda ! 
Lucinda ! take care what you do ; refled upon 
your duty to me, remember you are mine, and 
can never belong to any other hufband. Con- 
iider, that my life muit end the moment yon 
anfwer Yes. Ha! treacherous Don Fernan- 
do ! robber of my glory ! death of my life ! 
what lire thy intentions! what wouldft thoa 
have! remember that, as a chriftian, thou 
canil not fulfil thy defires * for I am Lucinda's 
huiband, and flie is my lawful wife I Fool that 
I am ! now, when I am abfent, and far re^ 
moved from the danger, I can reflet upon 
what I ought to have* done. Now that I am 
robbed of all that was dear to my foul ! ac« 
curfed be the robber, on whom I might have 
taken vengeance, had my heart fupplied mc 
with courage, as it now affords inclination to 


l>ON aUIXOTS. 401 

complain. In fine, as I then acted like a 
booby and a coward, it is but reasonable that 
I should no^w die of madness, sorrow, and 
shame. The priest waited for the reply of 
Lucinda, who declined it a good while; and 
when I exp^BCted she would either unsbeath her 
dagger to vindidftte her love, employ brer 
tongue in the cause of the truth, or uttei:'k>Qijs 
ingenious' fraud that should tend to my' ad- 
vantage, I heard her pronootice with a weak 
ftuiltering voice, " Yes, I will.** Don Fer- 
nando repeated the same words, and the rin¿ 
being put upon her finger^ they were united 
in the indissoluble bond of marriage ; * then he 
embraced his new^márried. spouse, who, laying 
her hand upon her heart, fainted ayiray tn .the 
arms of her mbther. If ñojw rcmains^' to 'de^ 
seribe my oWn situation, when 1 beard and 
saw my hopes thus b.^ffled by Lticii^da^s breach 
breach of promise; and found myself Teñdferéd 
incapable of ever retrieving the happiness I Kirf 
th It instant lost. I remiined 'without ''sense 
or reflection, abandoned, as I. thoághtl By' 
heaven, and a dechfed enemy to tliat^árth on 
which! livffd.r The air refuse* breath for ¿y; 
sighs,* the water denied morstor^fbr my tears,,' 
fire alone increased within me, to such a dé- 
grecj that I was scorched with jealousy and 
rage! Lucinda's swooning threvr the whole 
company into confusion ; and 'her mother 
opening her bre»9t to give her air; found' in it 
a folded' paper, which Don Feniatido taking^ 
read by the light ¿f one of the -torches, and 
then sat down*in ^ chaif, and Itáucd one side 
of his head Ujiori hrs hatid, in rfpeiisive atti- 




» 


4Ú2 DONAUIXOTE, 

tuile^ witliout lAindiogthe jrfipedita^ ihcy wei^é 
applyij^ to the recavary of his* »poiUi|e. 

1 «eeing the whole ifapiily ia confusion, ven- 
tured to come out, cost what.it would, r^ 
solving shoMld I be «een^ to do SQaie.4li;2S(iemte 
, action» tha^ would oop yioce tiie . whole, world 
of my just indignatiori ii^ cbastisit^.|hc' false 
Don Femando, and the fiokle, fi||iiHing:traitre$8. 
But (ate, that reserved ^ oie, if possible, for 
'greater tnisfortunes, ordained that Tshould then 
jibouad in reflection, which hath sinQe foiled 
^e; and resolve, rather than take vengeance 
.upon aay. greatest eneosies, who, as they had 
no suspicion of uie, were thm at tny niercy, 
fo turn upon myself that resaafmeat which they 
so JQStly deserved to ieel, and perhaps with 

gore rigonr than I should have exercised upon 
em, had 1 at that time sacrificed them to 
my rage ; because sudden death 19 infinitely 
more easy than that which is lengthened out 
by lingering torments In short, I quitted the 
boose, and went to the place where I had left 
my mule, which being saddled, I modnted 
her. and without takioc; leave of my host, sal- 
ted out of town, dreadins:, like another LiOt, 
to look behinci me. When I found myself 
alone iii the open fíeld, shrouded by the dark- 
ness of the night, and invited by the silence 
to complain, without caution, or fear of being 
overheard or known, I raised my voice, and 
gave a loose to my indis;nation| in venting 
curses upon Lucinda and Don i^ernando, as if 
those vaiii exclamations could have atonckl 
lor th^^ injury they bad dope ipe« I^ bestowed 
lipon her the epithets of ^ruel, false, perfidious 


DON aUIXOTE. 403r 

arxd ungratefal, but above all,.avitricipiis; since 
the wealth of my rival had shut (he éyeióf^ 
her love, detached her from rrt,e, and swayed 
iiiclinatiop towards him, to whom'fortune had 
shewn herself more kind and liberal. Yet iá 
the midst of these reproaches and jnvectiveif, 
I could not heFp ekcusing her, observing Jt 
was no wonder, thata.dáüi^el, educated uMléV 
restraint, in the house* of her parertt8,"^bri*d'op 
{^nd always.accustomed to obey iHetii', should 
9ompIy with ^beir will.atid jpleasure, in par- 
rying a young gentlemati of such wealth, rank', 
and qualifications ; ths^t her refusal tñight have 
peen thought to* proceed either from want tk 
sense, or a . passion for somef other sban, 
whi^b would hiaye been a suspicion equally 
prejudicial to l^er virtue and reputation; then 
4 argued on the .other side of; the question, 
saying, had she owcied tnát f v^as her husbaod^ 
her parentf^ wouídjháve seen she had not com« 
mitted an. unpardónaíble crime in making sucíf 
á choice: since, before the offer of Don Fer- 
nando, they themselves ¿oald not ha1^^ desired,- 
had their desires been bounded \fy i^soo, áf 
better match than me for their aaughter: and 
consequeqtiy, before she complied with tháü 
^oo^pulsivc injunction of grving her hand tó 
ánotner, she might have told thetn that aha 
had already given it to me ; \n which case, f 
would have appeared, and confirmed the truth' 
of every thii^ she should have feigned for the 
occasion; in fine, I concluded that superficial 
love, slender understanding, vast ambition, 
and thirst after grandeur, had obliterated from 
lierniemory^ those professipi^ by which I had 


404 DON a u I X o T e; 


been deceived, cherished, and ¿upportet, in 
(he unshaken hope of my honorable desires. 
; In this exclamation and anxiety I travelled 
all night; and in the morning found myself in 
one of the passages to this mountain, in which 
1 proceeded three days more^ without high- 
roady or b|^e-path^ till I stopt at a small mea- 
dow, that li^s either on the right or left of these 
rocks; there I inquired of some gOatherds; 
' .whereal>outs thie most cmg^y. part of the motin- 
tain was; and^ according to their direction, 
.thither I rode» resolving to put an end to my 
life*.. Whqn I árrivea . ampns those ragged 
rocks, my mule fi^l down dead of wearioess or 
hqnger ; or, as I rather believe» to disincUmber 
.herself of such an useless load as then biirtheaed 
her ; and . 1 remained on foot quité $pent and 
iamifhed, without having or desiring finy sup"- 
port.- In this situatiop^I know üpt now long t 
fXNntinued on the ground ; but at length I got 
up wiThout feeling any cravings of hunger, atfd 
f<¿ind myself in the midst of some stiepfaerds»^ 
whO| doubtless^ had relieved my ne(!^ssity ; in- 
deed they told me in what condition I had been 
fouD(^ uttering such incoherent ahd extfava- 

r|nt expressions^ as.cléárly demonstrated that' 
lifiá lost my senses. ¡Since that timé, I Have 
frecjAiently perceived my intellects so cráísy and 
^Q^und, tliat I perform a thousand liiad 
actions^ ;tefinng my cloaths, bellowing through 
^hejse unfrequenteo places,, dufsing my fate, 'and 
repeating in vain the beloved name, ot^ my 
fair eficxny^ without any connected sentences, 
or indeed any other intent than that of putting 
an end to my life by violent outcries; Ma 


0.Q4 *«//?9T*- ^*f^ 


wh*n \ r«cofer. the use of, my senses, . I find . 
Itij^flíélf ' SO ^weak and exhausted, that I can: 
itítrée teové. * My usual habitation is the hoi- , 
I01V of á cork-tree, largi enough to coutain 
this Wiserablecafca^s; the cow and goat hcrds^ 
who" fréijüent these mountains, who maintain 
lifié' oiit of charity, by leaving food upon the 
rSad or rocks, on which they think 1 may 
chance to iiVid it : and even while I am deprived 
rít my understanding, natural instinct Reaches 
rile to distinguish this 'necessary nourishment» 
aWákciiiiig my appetite ÍEih() desire of seizing it 
fórihyús?. They tell mie,. too, when tney 
meet' with me in one of my lucid intervals, that 
a< otht^r'ttfhelh' I sally out upon thehighway^. 
and take it by force from the ^hepherds^ as they 
ar|e bribgiñ^ it fix)m their cg^%. although they 
offeh it l>f their own accord. . In this manner 
I lead áxy Woeful and wretched life, until heaven, 
shall We pleased to piit' a. period to it, or to. 



peri' before Í die, my intellects ^will return inta 
their right channeF; dtherWise (here is nothing 
to be done but to supplicate Heaven to have 
mercy on my soul ; for I find I have neither 
virtue nor strength to extricate myself out of 
this extremity into which I was voluntarily 
plunged. 

This, gentlemen, ¡8 the bitter story of my 
misfortunes; tell me if you think it could have 
been rehearsed with less concern than I have 
shewn ; and pray give yourselves no trouble in 
offering to me such persuasions and advice as 
your reason prompts yoa to thiiik will do toe 


406^ 


BON a V 1 X OTK. 


servTCf : for they can no have other effect upo^^ 
táe thjin the prescription of a celebrated phy- ' 
sician. upon a^ patient who \vitl not receive it. 
I w\[\ have no hcáltlí without Lucinda; and' 
•ince she who is^ oír ought to be min^e, hath, 
«jttaclved her8.elf to another^ I who might; 
h^ave ^»en th,e chi^d b/ happmess^ am, now the 
^llin^ votary of w;oe.'She, by hjer inconstancy, 
yíántfe;to fix- iny perdition, and I yfeloDni<e it,;, in 
ofder Iq gre^tiiy í\er desire;^ ^n^ l¿ ap, example,' 
t'o po^erity of one who wanted t)^at pojasolation, 
whicl^ al^ra^o^t aH. the ^rretcí^^ ***©-. "^Wf 'X* 
the fflpipossTb^lrty of; receiving cpÁfort^ a const-' 
derat^fi t]bat/increase8.%^. mi^iy which I feaf 
yiili moii ectd ev^en with; death/* 

Thus did Card^nio wind^ up the long thread 
of h\\ ainorouf and qnfortunnte story ; and just 
as tht €uráte ^^s, ^^iat to give hi^ tiis heat 
adyfofj and co^sohttioo, he w^ preyepted by a 
V^CQ th^'t saluted his^ai^j an^ noQurnful accents 
prontjupced w^at ^iUt¡^ rel\ev8ed in the fourth 
poo\Si of thi| narrationji ' f«r in this place, tJljie 
tWni is coA?^de^'t»¿.tbe ^ag^ «d ^tfte^tiye 


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